Authentic Orange

Submitted by Taylor McEuin

Going to college and living on campus can come with many roadblocks and finding yourself can be one of them. Being authentic in a mass of people can be difficult, and at times, may seem impossible. But what does it mean to be authentic? Merriam-Webster.com defines authentic as “real or genuine: not copied or false. True and accurate.”  To fully answer the question “what does it mean to authentically, Be Orange” we must also understand what it mean to be Orange. As a member of the OSU community, I define “Being Orange” as simply, being an active student/faculty member of the Oregon State community. Using existential themes from many different philosophers, you can become an authentic Oregon State student.

Existential theme number one is existence precedes essence. It states that what you are is a result of your choices and you become who you make yourself to be (lecture 5/21/15). Your life is a project. College is a big part of this project that’s going to take a lot of rough drafts, erasing and changing but it’s what you make of it that makes you authentic. Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega states life is “an attempt to carry out a definite program or project of existence.” (“Man has no Nature” pg.154). When we become college students we are attempting our first project to start our whole lives and what we do with it is up to us.

Existential theme number two is existence is temporal. We students only have a minimal amount of time here at school, so we have to plan and get things done before our time as a college student is up and we are pushed into the world. The book The Sickness Unto Death states “Man is a synthesis of the infinite and the finite, of the temporal and the eternal, of freedom and the necessity, in short he is a synthesis.” (pg. 70). The fact that college is only temporal puts us under a lot of pressure and gives us a minimal amount of time to find a way to be authentic to ourselves. Four years is only a small fraction in our life time so we have to make use of the time we have.

Existential theme number three is humanism. People express and carry themselves in many different ways based on the pursuit of freedom and identity. College helps us find who we are and lets us explore things we never thought was out there. One great example is dorm living. We meet new people, live with new people, go to new classes that we are not used to. All in order to show us what path we want to pursue.

Ultimately, life is a canvas and we are the artist and it all begins with the color orange. There are many hoops to jump though and roads to cross but taking into consideration these existential themes and realizing that you are already authentic can help you become the person you want to be in the future. The Authentic You. The Orange You.

Submitted by Benjamin Seib

What does it mean to be authentic? Dictrionary.com defines authentic as, “not false or copied; genuine; real.” This is the ability to be true to one’s individual self. The internal and external ideas, thoughts and actions support the creation of a unique, self-built independent being. What does it mean to be “Orange”? As a respectful member of Beaver Nation, I define “Orange” as person who works to grow in knowledge, shares a kind smile, is welcoming to a community and uncontrollably loud at Beaver football games. With both words defined, how does one authentically “Be Orange”? It is through three key steps, that future Beaver’s can use when developing one’s authentic, orange self.

The first step is to embrace the idea of Freedom. Fyodor Dostoevsky stated, “Man is free, man is freedom.” (Satre, Existentialism Is Humanism) We, as beings, have the ability to think, process, imagine and reflect with zero limitations. We have the ability to, “create and choose”, based on our wanting. (Lec. 5/26/15) As a Beaver, our entire University thrives off the ability to explore and discover the unknown. This is only accessed through the acceptance of freedom and following the direction in which one is called to follow, both as an individual and a community. By doing this, past Beaver’s have made great development in the Engineering, Animal Science and Scientific fields. As future Beaver’s, one needs to understand that they control their path. Each individual has the power to choose their direction. It is through the discover of self-freedom, that one will be able to create and experience the ultimate unknown, ones individual future. (Lec. 5/26/15).

The second step to being “Orange” is finding a solid balance between “Choosing-self” and “Choosing for all humans.” This is the idea, when working with freedom, the choices made can both, positively or negatively, affect one’s own self and the community. To find the balance, one must develop of image of humanity. (Lec. 5/21/15) Whether one works alone or with a large number of people, we must look to see how an action may affect today’s humanity. As students of a college town, we are looked upon to aid others. Here at Oregon State University, support and respect is expected from each student. Choosing-self is extremely important, for the self is the foundation of authenticity. But new Beaver members must critically analyse their free decisions, for they may create a destructive outcome for others, especially when involving personal success. As stated above, Beaver’s share smiles while creating a welcoming community. Though this may feel like a lot of pressure, if one is meant to be a member of Beaver Nation, developing individual success and helping others along the way comes natural. It is an “authentic” trait of the University.

The third and final step to authentically “Be Orange”, is one must bring their “true-self” to the University. Each individual here at Oregon State is unique and contains ideas, thoughts and dreams that differ for others. No one person is the same. Thus, to be an authentic “Orange”, one must be an authentic “self.” Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard touches this topic through his description of a crowd. “A crowd either renders the single individual wholly unrepentant and irresponsible, or weakens his responsibility by making it a fraction of his decision.” (Kierkegaard, The Crowd is Untruth) As young-adults, this is extremely challenging and takes great understanding of one’s-self to create. Today’s society, which contains judgement, discrimination, and bullying, makes it hard to express individuality. As an Oregon State Beaver, we must attempt to be “That single individual” that stands out from the crowd. (Lec. 5/5/15) We must challenge the norms of society and express our “freedom” to be different. Beaver Nation thrives on the diversity of students. From nationality to unique fashion, without personal idiosyncrasy, there would be no “Orange”.

Overall, what it means to be authentically “Be Orange” is to be one’s true-genuine self. Through the process of understanding freedom, one learns they are the creators of choice. When faced with the idea of “Choosing-self vs. Choosing for all humans” one discovers that these choices within the life of existentialism can affect both the internal and external world.It is up to individuals to find a balance. And finally, although present day society tries to place us in a crowd, it is individual authenticity that gives Beaver Nation the ability to nurture diversity.

Submitted by Trevor Whitaker
To be authentic to oneself is to achieve the ability to be an individual, separated and distinct from the crowd or group of people that one is a part of. To be able to be comfortable with standing out or not fitting in takes a level of self-actualization that few possess. This is a very important idea to talk about at a university, especially one as large as Oregon State because it becomes so easy for us to become lost in the “they”, the “herd”, or the “crowd” (lecture 5/5). What we should attempt to do is to have the ability to be Orange—that is to be a contributing member of the Oregon State community—while still maintaining our authenticity.
The path of least resistance when we are a part of a large community is to conform, to be like everyone else. “The crowd… in its very concept—is untruth” (Kierkegaard, The Crowd is Untruth, pg. 1). This is the general consensus among philosophers, although each words it differently, that to be just one piece of a larger working mechanism is harmful to oneself—an act that is not in good faith (lecture 5/21). The “herd” as Nietzche calls it, can only do us harm. When we become part of the herd, we give up our own authenticity and adopt the morals and traits that are not our own (Nietzche, The Gay Science, pg. 116-119). At the university we are presented with a problem however: it is such a critical time in our lives that the desire to be likable and thus have the ability to form relationships and connections pushes us into this herd mentality—we start to think that the only way to be accepted is to fit in and conform. What we don’t realize is that we have the ability to be likable by just being ourselves. Being distinct while not the most easy thing we can do ensures our that we keep our identity and freedom in the crowd (lecture 5/7). When we are all able to achieve a level of authenticity within the Oregon State community, we promote more diverse and well-rounded thinking. This introduces new ideas and new thinking into our community that while still allowing us to act and be as a whole (to be orange) we are able to foster understanding and love of all walks of life and all different methods of thinking. Not only are we helping ourselves as individuals by being authentic, but we are contributing something to a community that helps society as a whole. In contrast, if we conform to what everyone else is doing we become self-conscious and unaccepting, and it leaves the door open to hate and prejudice. In doing this we can understand what it means to really be authentically orange. It is very possible for every member of the Oregon State community to “be orange” while everyone is just a slightly different shade of orange. If we can apply the thinking of the great minds of existentialist thinkers, we will all be able to be distinct while enhancing the life and well-being of our community and society.