Authentic Orange

SUBMITTED BY: MEGAN MARCHAND

PHL 150

Authenticity to me means not being fake, but being true to one self as well as others when it comes actions upon one’s morals and beliefs. I along with being a strong “Beaver Believer” I am a strong causa sui to the second power believer. (Lecture 4-9-15) I believe that every experience we have is what shapes us into who we become.

I haven’t always been a Beaver Believer. In fact, up until my senior year of high school, I was a Duck fan. It wasn’t until I received a scholarship that would pay for my tuition at any Oregon university that I found myself considering OSU. It’s always been a dream of mine to become a teacher, to teach agriculture to younger generations and educate them on some of the most important subjects that pertain to continuing life on this earth.

Suddenly the stats and sporting games didn’t matter. I focused on the academics of schools all around Oregon and I found that OSU was known for its College of Agriculture and excelled academically in the eyes of the state. So I applied and a few months later I was accepted.

Sartre says we are “condemned to be free, because once thrown into the world [we] are responsible for everything [we] do.” (Sartre, Being and Nothingness, Pg. ) This is a fear that struck me when making my decision on what college to attend (afraid I wouldn’t choose the right one and be home by the end of my first term). However, my fear quickly disappeared as I enrolled and selected my first set of classes as a freshman at Oregon State University in the Fall of 2013, here’s how yours can too!

This is a guide to becoming AUTHENTICALLY Orange for all those CURRENT Duck fans!

• Visit and fall in love with our campus!
• See how welcoming, open minded and accepting our community is
• Apply and enroll at Oregon State University. You can visit the Admission’s Office page at http://oregonstate.edu/admissions/
• Buy and wear a bunch of Beaver gear. What’s up good lookin’?
• Take classes that you’re interested in and contact your professors
• Realize how much the instructors on this campus care about the success of each and every one of their students.
• Sit in the student’s section at any one of our sporting events and feel the energy of our fan base
• Play intermural sports through Dixon Rec
• Get involved in Greek Life whether you join the community or you just participate in their philanthropies
• Live fully and enjoy every moment at this beautiful school

Alright, so there are a few things I’ve learned from my Philosophy class this past term. One of the things I’ve learned is how to live in the moment. I’ve learned that reality is ontologically ambiguous and that facticity and transcendence both play an important part in living day-to-day. (Lecture 4-9-15). This class has taught me to question everything! I mean everything. Is freedom actually free? What does it mean to be alive? What does it take to become “nothing”? Is there an afterlife? Is there a god? Most importantly though, this past term I’ve learned the importance of being true to myself. The importance of authenticity. Without being authentic I can’t successfully live with meaning. We are all in an existential situation where we are striving for eternal and infinite meaning. (Lecture 4-16-15). Though I’ve learned all of this, I’ve also found that often times others can bring out the inauthenticity of ourselves as we group together sometimes we have the habit of losing our individuality and it is crucial to our existence that we are aware of this and surround ourselves with those who allow us to be ourselves, true and authentic. (Lecture 4-28-15).

There are three spheres to existence: Aesthetic, Ethical and Religious. (Lecture 4-23-15). People live that live in the Aesthetic sphere are thrill seeks. They seek to satisfy their desires immediately. In the Ethical sphere people constantly debate if situations and choices are good or bad. These people live with believing they have a universal moral duty to make responsible decisions that align with their idea of right. Lastly, in the Religious sphere these people live in Christian faith. They find meaning in both their church and their relationship with God.

Some people live in all three of these spheres actively. Some only one or two. However, typically one resonates most with them. Which do you live in?