Authentic Orange

Authenticity is being true to one’s own self. Therefore in this instance let’s say that to “Be Orange” is to be authentic in the form of conversation as it relates to relationships. It is important to begin first with the idea that we are condemned to freedom, second we ought not to procrastinate in relationships, and third to recognize that human nature is represented in the universality of communication. The synthesis of these three parts points towards the necessity of authentic relationships in Oregon State University, in order to “Be Orange”.

College is different than the adolescent years of primary education. Freedom is much more complete and satisfying. Few students lived with parents or family in the Corvallis area, in leaving home, there is a new degree of separation, which requires a new degree of freedom that was not possible when they lived with their parents. Therefore most of the students lack the level of familial and familiar social support they held on to from home when they move. With the addition of the first-year live-on campus requirement, it is a guarantee that lifelong, budding relationships leading towards “Being Orange”, begin to fill old familial ties. The student as “the individual is defined only by his relationship to the world and to other individuals” (Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity). This is because there is a need in this world for authentic people, students who come here are not just engineers in training, nor are professors grading machines with an assignment input and grade output. However until meaningful conversations come about between either intra- or inter-group, the student cannot expect to represent themselves authentically.

The danger inherent to many students is time, for we are both temporal and eternal beings, we assume that there is always time, that tomorrow doesn’t come. But tomorrow does come, and it is the denial of that fact that leads to the inauthenticity that is procrastination (Jenkins, Lecture 06/04/15). In living authentically, or “Being Orange” to the facticity of time, we should build and strengthen relationships with others that are on campus. This then leaves no place for cheap talk, which gives the impression of relationships, but is stagnant and leaves no area for growth. An example could be the pleasantries given daily to a series of people in passing, whose names have been long forgotten if ever learned, and whom reply automatically to a string of simple questions. This ought not to be, as communication is transcendence of being, and if authenticity is being true to one’s self, then actively engaging others is part of living authentically. Therefore when engaging other students or professors, be sure to focus and give full attention, and in effect honoring another person’s ability to be authentic.

Tacitly students understand that healthy relationships are important in college, but not many would recognize off hand that it goes to represent the entirety of the community. Indeed, human nature, or in this case “Being Orange”, “is found in every man; which means that each man is a particular example of a universal conception” (Sartre, Existentialism Is a Humanism). And the representation of this campus relies upon the authenticity of the students. The representation of this campus is how this university is publicized, and how new students are brought in. Therefore in a way, the authenticity of “Being Orange” is not just for the benefit of the students, but is the sustaining inflow of students to this campus, which provides the opportunity for students to be authentic in their conversations with others.