Merriam-Webster has announced that the word of the year is “authentic.” Apparently it was searched more than any other word this year. You’d think we know the definition: not false or imitation: REAL, ACTUAL. The folks at Webster explained that humanity’s concern over AI prompted the mad searches for definition.
I’m immersed in a fake world: silk flowers, imitation flavors, gold plated jewelry, faux fur, pleather, Beyond Burgers, laminate “wood” flooring. I recently saw an ad for an authentic reproduction of a vintage aluminum Christmas tree. Memory centers offer animatronic pets to the suffering patients. Zoom offers a “touch up my appearance,” not to mention the option to have a background of my choosing, so that people can think I’m actually in a castle, or at a cafe in Rome. When did fake become “the real thing?” And what is in Coke anyway that makes it a “real thing?”
Another definition of authentic is: true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character. Easy to say, not so easy to do. How can I know my true self? Robert Sapolsky’s challenging book, Determined, posits that we have no control over our behavior because we are merely the products of our upbringing, our society, our genetics. How can I find the truth of myself? If he is correct, I can’t help but be true to myself. Ironically, that doesn’t feel true.
You can feel your authenticity. That moment at the end of a movement lesson, when all my parts seem to fit together without effort, when my breath is easy, my eyes are relaxed and my mind is clear. When I have a clarity of the sensation of my feet on the earth, and I look around at my fellow humans, I feel something genuine inside myself. Call it Empathy, Attention, Love. That, to me, is “the real thing.” And I am determined to continue to explore its possibilities. Call it destiny. I call it agency, the place where I exercise choice to be my best self.
Wishing you all a bona fide, genuine holiday season filled with authentic delights and experiences. And when you feel the challenge of trying to remain “true to yourself” during holiday parties and family gatherings, give yourself the gift of movement.