Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that the topic of authenticity has emerged more frequently, so I wanted to write a few lines about what I believe it is, and how to find it. It was the father of existentialism Martin Heidegger who first introduced us to the concept of authenticity in his magnum opus Being and Time (1927)—the notion being that many people live (and act) based upon the ideals of society, or what he termed the “they-self”. Inauthenticity cannot be avoided; we all enact personas and perform roles, but we mustn’t forget who the actors are. So, to be—and become—authentic, one must, according to Heidegger, keep a few things in mind…

1. Limitations: We are, as Heidegger says, “thrown” into the world. We don’t get to choose our family of origin, our gender or height, the time and place in which we are born into etc. We have limitations that restrict what—and who—we can become. For example, it would be implausible for me to make it my goal to become an NBA star: I’m barely over six feet tall, don’t fully understand the rules and I’m well over the age hump when it comes to elite sporting demographics. Thus, I agree with Heidegger in that our goals—the destinations and achievements we ‘pick’ that will inevitably define us (as our goals influence the decisions we make in the present)—must take into account our “thrownness”.
2. Being—and becoming: We aren’t things, we’re processes. I will never ‘find myself’, because I don’t exist as a thing or a ‘substance’. According to Heidegger, I am always changing, always birthing and dying new forms of being; I never am who I was a moment ago. Thus, my authenticity is, too, a process. It never arrives anywhere. It is always evolving. What this means for those of us interested in ‘finding ourselves’ is that we must let go of the idea that we will ultimately arrive at some place of omniscience, where our existential questioning ceases to be. As Heidegger asserts, the very act of questioning—of questing forth—is itself an authentic act. The moment the questioning stops, so too does our authenticity.
3. Death: We are beings-toward-death. Heidegger’s project was essentially a quest to discover what it means to be. He felt that, for a long time, philosophy had become concerned with the way things are—the substance of things; what things are made of; their parts, forms and constituent elements. Heidegger claimed that philosophers had forgotten about the sheer profundity of the fact that things are—that we’re here! Moreover, he believed that human beings are a particularly interesting being—a Dasein, as he would call us—because our being is concerned with itself, and the fact that one day, it won’t be. That we are concerned with the fact we are here means, by definition, that we are concerned with our death—that our being alive matters. Without getting too lost in the weeds, Heidegger believed that keeping our death in the forefront of our minds was critical if we are to lead authentic lives. For death is the ultimate equaliser; it strips away and dethrones the ego, along with its taunting desires for status and validation from the group. An embodied reminder of death calls upon each of us to not live solely for the crowd—to not do what others do merely because it keeps us feeling safe.
4. Anxiety—a “mood that discloses being”: Anxiety, for Heidegger, is a calling to conscience. It is a mood that tells you that things aren’t as familiar, safe or homely as you think they are. This is a good thing! Anxiety reminds us that we are existentially isolated, that we will die, and that we are responsible for what we will become (which echoes the Nietzschean ideal to cultivate your own values and become what you are, the “Übermensch” or Superman!). Anxiety reminds us of the groundlessness of being. It is Jiminy Cricket, telling us all to leave our Hobbit Shire, to get on our way and live authentically.

I told myself before writing this newsletter this morning that I would keep it short and succinct; but how can you when you’re hoping to touch on the major themes of Heidegger and authenticity! I hope I didn’t lose you in the weeds. (I am in the process of writing an essay about Heidegger’s main points as I believe they are extremely informative and therapeutic when applied.)

What I want to leave you with is the following: (1) You won’t ever “find” your authenticity, but you will “live” it if you keep questing for it, if you keep asking the big questions; (2) your anxiety—your discomfort—is happening for you, not to you. It is your call to adventure. Hearken to its voice and follow the path it lays out for you; (3) your fleetingness will enliven and amplify your experience of being. Keep it sacred; (4) getting lost in the pleasures of the crowd—“tranquilising yourself with the trivial”, as Ernest Becker once wrote—isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it’s fun to watch a dumb reality TV show, have a beer with friends, watch the footy etc. But if you feel that your inauthenticity—your “fallenness”, as Heidegger wrote—is pulling you away from your authenticity, perhaps then it’s time to contemplate whether the enjoyments of the “they-self” are actually distractions, numbing your anxiety—your call to adventure.

I wish you all the best on your journey, fellow traveller.