It is generally true that most people want to be accepted. It is hard-wired into our nature to want to belong. Homo Sapiens is a social species, after all. It can be scary to be alone, and it gets cold 'outside'.
The difficulty comes in trying to be what, or who, we are not. A sense of inner-conflict arises with reprecussions to physical and mental health. If someone is accepted by the dominant society they are said to 'pass' and are given entre and entitlements. Now let's add the third leg to the stool, authenticity. Being yourself, 'presenting' to society who you are in fact, brings confidence, creativity, clarity, and an ability to give 100% to your efforts. Fitting in is comfortable, there is no denying that. The sense of belonging is all warm and fuzzy. But do you fit in? Do you belong? Only you can answer that from deep in yourself. You might say, "Yes, but at what price?" Consider this; all the truly great people stood out. They weren't afraid to be different, to think differently, to do different things. Inventions, cures, discoveries, great literature were all achieved by doing something differently. The people who are responsible are judged 'great' and put on a pedestal (stool?). But if they didn't step out, or stand out, no one would ever have heard of them.
So, to have something to sit on that is solid, and whole, a pedestal is just a fancy stool, you need authenticity. Without it, you can balance for awhile, but you will fall. With authenticity you can build and grow and reach higher. Athenticity is more than 'warm and fuzzy'. A person that is authentic is complete and is whole and is proud. To me that is much better thasn a passing grade.
1st posted Oct. 26, 2011 on Transcendentalexperience.
