“People seek authenticity, even if they can’t easily define it” (S. Sinek). Somehow this is the cry of most of us these days. Even if we struggle to understand the true meaning of authenticity, we know an authentic person or institution when we meet one. Lack of authenticity creates frustration; this may be because we always search for authenticity in our lives and in others.

I will try to explore one sign which can indicate authenticity: respect for our whole being, the universality of reality, the whole of history and beyond.

We receive a million and one tips on how to alienate ourselves from one or another aspect of life, whether it is health or money or ‘well-being’ or credentials, or power. The word ‘holistic’ is a cliché today, but a truly holistic, and thereby a truly authentic person, is one who strives to keep all these in balance, and often is admits vulnerability in his journey. As B. Brown puts it: “Vulnerability is the last thing I want you to see in me and the first thing I look for in you”.

I know I’ve met an authentic person when I meet a person who is not afraid to show his or her vulnerability, while striving to keep all aspects and all people in the day-to-day life picture. We only understand what makes us truly happy when we have a long-term and wider perspective on life.

In our legislation, in the education and social services sectors, we include a long list of adjectives to describe all aspects of human life, and try to be as holistic as possible, but when it comes to our everyday lives, our agenda comes before all our holistic principles, which fade into the background.

This is at the root of many of society’s problems. We have created an economy which revolves around the principle of making money, forgetting that it should be a function of our whole wellbeing. We promote lifestyles that enslave us to incessantly chase after the fulfilment of illusionary dreams.

A faith that keeps us insulated and self-centred is not an authentic faith

Despite awareness of our interconnectedness, we take decisions that adversely affect other countries or future generations, as in the case of the environment.

In the social sector we take decisions which might address a particular issue but create problems in other sectors.

These realities, which many a time are promoted as proposals of ‘authenticity’, frustrate us, and rightly so.

Fr Ermes Ronchi, addressing the Pope’s spiritual exercises last week, said: “When my bread becomes our bread, then little becomes enough. Hunger begins when I keep my bread to myself, when the satiated West holds on to its bread, its fish, its assets.”

This happens also in the religious field: we are often frustrated by the messenger’s lack of authenticity. When religion is really nothing but a sense of religiosity, it defeats its purpose. Our faith has a wider life message than the religious realm itself, even if some try to keep faith as a limited affair. A faith that keeps us insulated and self-centred is not an authentic faith. As Pope Francis puts it: “The security of faith does not make us motionless or close us off but sends us forth to bear witness and dialogue with all people.”

Let us strive to be authentic, as within authenticity lies true peace and integrity, as well as life to the full for ourselves and all society. At the heart of Lent lies the call for us to have a wider perspective on our life and the world around us.

A deeper connection with God’s mercy will generate true self-respect, understanding and esteem. It will necessarily generate a wider perspective on personal problems and needs in the context of society, the world and history. A shallow life, a shallow spirituality and a shallow religiosity gives rise to disrespect for my whole being, people around me and my place in history – i.e. a narrower perspective.

Let us take up the challenge and go deeper, become more authentic and live more honestly and holistically and so gain a wider perspective.

tonimifsud@yahoo.com

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.