LIVING AUTHENTICALLY.....what does it mean to you personally?

journey-on

For me, it means that sometimes you have to give up the comfortable illusion that was pulled over your eyes and accept the consequences of being truly free to seek and find....

to "know thyself". Sometimes this is uncomfortable and lonely after having been a Witness for many years. I think that is why many JWs choose to remain ignorant and inauthentic.

They fear authenticity. It makes them feel insecure and anxious. Some people just need that little box to live in with all the rules and boundaries neatly spelled out. Unfortunately,

most never really come to know themselves.

Agreed.

I have a little note in front of me that says "Remind yourself to live with a high level of intensity."

That's part of it for me - and doing so as honestly as possible. Part of that is being honest enough to know my weaknesses and character flaws - and still accept them and myself.

It's hard then for me to be insulted or shocked when someone says to me,"You're a self-centered, egotistical son of a bitch who likes to drink too much."

Well, yeah. Tell me something I DON'T know!

S4

VoidEater

To be honest and open.

A deep part of me is compassionate - so to be authentic for me is to be kind.

To bring all of myself to each situation...and to offer tact when it will let the message I offer be heard.

To acknowledge disagreeable viewpoints even when disagreeing.

To not go against my conscience, and let others live their lives by their own consciences.

hillary_step

Journey On,

Good thread. Your self-imposed exile has bought out the best in you : <------ (teasing)

As Willie The Shake penned, "To thine own self be true". I try my hardest to live by this adage in all facets of my life, both creative and practical.

It is tough after years as a JW of being told that you are not good enough and that if you do not improve God is going to execute you someday, but this emotionally destructive thinking can be overcome if one merely learns to accept that, for better of worse we are what we are and that in many ways, everybody is everybody else.

Learn to love the things in ourselves that we once may have hated, learn to accept that this is who we are, and then we are better able to change IF we want to. I have a friend, a Jewish man whose family fled persecution in Europe during WWII and moved to North America. He ran a recording studio for many years, and we have much in common, but at 88, he is the biggest pain in the arse I know. Trouble follows him around wherever he sits, and he sits a lot. He was recently banned from a local resteraunt because he overheard the chef make a racist comment about somebody and stormed in into the kitchen and made a scene....lol. ( I hope that at 88 I have this spirit).

Despite what I might see as his flaws, both as a friend and as a human, I love him. I accept who he is and would not want him to change. He is a good-hearted man and always has been. Why should I want him to fit into my mould?

We must learn to do this with ourselves. Accept ourselves warts and all, then if we feel the need to change ourselves we are better positioned to control the changes, rather then let them control us.

HS

jaguarbass

What living Authentically means to me.

It's like Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living".

To boil that down.

Wake up from our trance,

Dont be a zombie.

Or to put it in JW language, "quit being a Sheep."

Examine what you do and why you do it.

Try to find the meaning of your life.

llbh

We must learn to do this with ourselves. Accept ourselves warts and all, then if we feel the need to change ourselves we are better positioned to control the changes, rather then let them control us.
HS

i agree with those sentiments so much.

For me it means being happy and honest with myself and others.

And being ready to accept and embrace change in whatever form it may take.

I had a conversation with someon last year along similar linees to this thread

Very interesting and thoughtful topic

Regards DAvid

caliber

To thine own self be true…..”Most of us are familiar with the above quote taking from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but how many of us know this verse: “And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou can not then be false to any man.” Unless we can be true to ourselves first, we cannot be true to others.
To thine own self be true…..how profound. How many of us have a hard time being true to ourselves? Those of us that gave our life to another at the cost of loosing who we are in the process will have a hard time being true to ourselves. Allowing someone else to definewho we are, we lose our ability to discover and grow inwardly. We no longer are able to discern a truth from a lie. For many of us, we have accepted lies for so long, that finding out what is true takes time. Having done this very thing, I know how difficult the journey to self-discovery can be.

Truth….truth is a word that brings out such negative reactions to many of us. You see truth is really an action word. You cannot accepttruth without change. Accepting truth about ourselves is difficult, especially to those of us who have been abused. But
truth does set one free if we will allow it to; it is a crucial part of healing. It gives us the freedom to be who we are. We are able to come to terms with our weakness (without condemnation) and appreciate our strength. Truth gives strength; it naturally builds healthy boundaries. Truth is open; it is honest even at the risk of being vulnerable again. Truth is light and brings forth life. When we walk in truth, we walk in light and when we walk in light we live a healthy life. Truth is also love. The greatest act of love towards another is living a life that is truthful. For those of us who find it difficult to love ourselves, we will find it will come more easily when we walk in truth about who we are. If we walk in truth, we walk in perfect love, and if we walk in perfect love, then we do not walk in fear because perfect love cast out fear. Because we have been honest with ourselves, we are able to love ourselves with all of our imperfections, knowing that we are in “process” and therefore need not have others approval. This is freedom indeed.The second part of this verse is a natural occurrence if we hold true to the first part of the verse. of not being truthfuSo, when in doubt as to our motives l with someone….look inside, are we being less than truthful to ourselves?

”This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.” -Shakespeare-Hamlet

These are not my words but they are my thoughts and beliefs.... I would be hard pressed to express them any better !

Truth is open even at the risk of being vulnerable again .. do not sheild your heart for fear of pain from your fellow man !

Do not replace the WT walls with those of our own . LOVE and LIVE !

Caliber

flipper

JOURNEY ON- Very good thread ! Living authentically to me means being real . Accepting what each day offers, positive or negative and try to learn from it. Not limiting ourselves anymore by boxing ourselves into a witness corner , but keeping open to what each day has to offer ! One poster on a thread I started about being positive stated that , " each day is like a canvas, and we can choose what to paint on it , either positive experiences, or negative experiences. " Very true. When we were witnesses - we were being told how to feel and experience life ! Now we can decide how to proceed ! I enjoy that freedom of choice ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper

str8?so is spaghetti..until you heat it up

Aside from the theological reasons I left the JWs, I also left, obviously, because I am a gay man.

So living authentically for me, involves loosing myself of the hypocrisy of the double life i lived for the 12 years I knew i was gay.

I would like to think that the man I am now is honest, open and finally the man he was supposed to be.

xx

Its incredibly liberating, and the source of much happiness.

xx

quietlyleaving

testing my limits