Today, I brought a ring back to the jeweler that gave it to me. It was an authentic diamond ring, probably more expensive than its weight though. I handed it to the gentleman standing behind the counter and said I wanted my money back, very matter of factly. He asked, "Is there something wrong with the authenticity of the ring, sir? Can we get you something that fits your style more?" I told him no, that I was going through a divorce, and that they had better burn the ring before the entire staff caught the infectious disdain that had consumed the ring. He glanced at the ring, back at me, and then took it to the back to be processed. I was pleased.
This made me wonder though. Was there something wrong with the authenticity? Is there such a thing as authenticity in our world?
Of course there is. Don't be rash. Don't sell yourself short.
I talk sometimes about living in the moment, and that time is of the essence. For me, time is really a relative subject, and what constitutes living is invariably different for each person, but there should be some type of ground rules for being a human being. These rules, naturally, will be called Authenticity. Authenticity stands for many things, and is different in each situation, but in this game we call life, one where we are dying immediately upon diving out of the womb, authenticity is nothing more than living life, and making choices to sustain that life. Someone asked me once what I do for a living. I told them that I write. They asked what publication I write for, and I told them that I wrote poetry and short fiction and novels. They stared at me a second, as I was behind the counter at work, and asked if they would have read anything I'd written. I told them no, most likely not, unless they were one of the four people that bought my book online (three of them I am pretty sure are family, and the other I bought for a friend who is a rapper.) They smiled and took their coffee and moved along, but I felt their questions persist even after sitting at their table. I was enveloped by a smug satisfaction that I had really nailed the answer to that question. In short, it is not what we do to make money or how we live our lives, but what we do and how we live our lives that gets us through, and this is where authenticity is a huge component to achieving that goal. And even shorter, what we do makes us authentic. How we live and the choices we make create authenticity because very few people will make those same choices. Rant over.
What?
Scribbled on a Bathroom Stall