living an authentic life?

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Idale
 
Reply Thu 11 Dec, 2008 12:35 pm
Hi,

like i promised here comes my first question concerning Sartre and his essay existentialism is a humanism:

Do you think there is definite content to living an authentic life?

So far i could only say: that there is no definite content, everyone has to choose it for oneself, because there is no right or wrong, therefore no one has the right to dictate someone else how to live his life.

What do you think? Do you have anything else in mind, my answer seems pretty short for such an important topic.

Thanks a lot

Idale
 
jgweed
 
Reply Thu 11 Dec, 2008 05:00 pm
@Idale,
Sartre would be the first to acknowledge that, at least in an absolute sense, there is no right or wrong. But for him, an authentic life consists in understanding that absolutes do not exist (for us to hide behind or to use to make excuses about oneself) and that, at the same time, we must accept responsibility for our free choices knowing this. It might be better to think of authenticity as an attitude about choice rather than the content of the choice.
 
MJA
 
Reply Mon 15 Dec, 2008 09:47 am
@jgweed,
I think there is absolute right and wrong, but surely not everyone agrees.
As for an authentic person, that would be One who is true to himself as he is true to all no matter that everyone or all agree.
So an authentic life is One that is good or true or me.
A tree lives an authentic life, why don't we?

=
MJA
 
alex717
 
Reply Tue 23 Dec, 2008 09:37 pm
@Idale,
There are guidelines one should follow, both ethical and spiritual, in pursuit of living a good life, however to me an authentic life would be much unrewarding for it would end with marriage, children, one of capitalism's sweaty jobs, and a hunger for something spiritually arousing to be present. Not fun to go out that way. Rather, one should strive to find meaning in things that can better the world around him. While being kind, sharing, and modest to those who he interacts with. Purpose and fulfillment are all that can complete a rational man.
 
Petrovich phil
 
Reply Sat 27 Dec, 2008 02:39 am
@alex717,
alex717;39373 wrote:
There are guidelines one should follow, both ethical and spiritual, in pursuit of living a good life, however to me an authentic life would be much unrewarding for it would end with marriage, children, one of capitalism's sweaty jobs, and a hunger for something spiritually arousing to be present. Not fun to go out that way. Rather, one should strive to find meaning in things that can better the world around him. While being kind, sharing, and modest to those who he interacts with. Purpose and fulfillment are all that can complete a rational man.


i think you just don't like the term. an authentic life can very much be a life of striving to find meaning that can better the world. who said it has to be marriage, kids, and a sweaty job?
 
MJA
 
Reply Sat 10 Jan, 2009 10:53 am
@Petrovich phil,
Petrovich wrote:
i think you just don't like the term. an authentic life can very much be a life of striving to find meaning that can better the world. who said it has to be marriage, kids, and a sweaty job?


To be the meaning, to be true, is all One must really do.

=
MJA
 
Vanya
 
Reply Sun 11 Jan, 2009 11:33 am
@Petrovich phil,
Petrovich wrote:
i think you just don't like the term. an authentic life can very much be a life of striving to find meaning that can better the world. who said it has to be marriage, kids, and a sweaty job?

It has to be something of the world, hence, 'the most important question is to suicide or not' in Camus; and the non-Buddhist answer: 'it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all;' so it's gonna be sweaty.

So, is there a "definite content?" Yes, there is definitely content.
 
MJA
 
Reply Sun 11 Jan, 2009 11:39 am
@Vanya,
Vanya wrote:
It has to be something of the world, hence, 'the most important question is to suicide or not' in Camus; and the non-Buddhist answer: 'it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all;' so it's gonna be sweaty.

So, is there a "definite content?" Yes, there is definitely content.


Dearest Vanya,

Buddha told me the other day when I asked him about love that "He who loves 50 has 50 woes; and he who loves no one has none."

So I ask Buddha: What of loving only One self?

And before he could answer me I said: Woe is Me!

=
MJA
 
Vanya
 
Reply Sun 11 Jan, 2009 12:16 pm
@Idale,
Self is love.

Self is nothing.

Self is the "content" of "life." (Not to say these are the same.)
________

The content of an authentic life is self? It certainly isn't nothing.

But then there can be an empty set. "What does it contain?" "Nothing."

The content of an authentic life would have to be authentic, to state the obvious. Or not.
 
Sekiko
 
Reply Fri 16 Jan, 2009 07:13 pm
@Vanya,
[SIZE="3"][INDENT]
The Authentic life is filled with content: The content you make it to be. Simple, no?
[/INDENT][/SIZE]
 
PseudonymGeist
 
Reply Sun 18 Jan, 2009 11:25 pm
@Idale,
An authentic life to me is one in which one lives the way they want to, hence being authentic to onself.
 
Kreist
 
Reply Fri 6 Feb, 2009 09:57 pm
@PseudonymGeist,
if acting "un-authentic" is in someones nature, then wouldn't that be acting authentically?
 
MJA
 
Reply Sat 7 Feb, 2009 10:13 am
@Kreist,
Kreist wrote:
if acting "un-authentic" is in someones nature, then wouldn't that be acting authentically?


I don't think nature is un-authentic do you?

=
MJA
 
Kolbe
 
Reply Sat 7 Feb, 2009 11:52 am
@Idale,
How would someone be able to live un-authentically?
 
boagie
 
Reply Sat 7 Feb, 2009 12:42 pm
@Idale,
Idale wrote:
Hi,

like i promised here comes my first question concerning Sartre and his essay existentialism is a humanism:

Do you think there is definite content to living an authentic life?

So far i could only say: that there is no definite content, everyone has to choose it for oneself, because there is no right or wrong, therefore no one has the right to dictate someone else how to live his life.

What do you think? Do you have anything else in mind, my answer seems pretty short for such an important topic. Thanks a lot Idale


Idale,Smile

It is a very tricky question, for in one sense, if you in the process of living your life you violate your own biological nature, then the life is corrupted. This biological nature is of necessity corrupted in its service to its container, its womb if you like society, almost everyone violates their natural biological rhythms in order to make a living, think shift-work. So, we ignore this for the time being, is not living in society and the definition of the authentic life dependent upon living the life of the heart, hard to do I know, not many are able to be true to their own heart life, but this would be the defining principle of the authentic life. Authority I would think is its arch enemy, in society both one's biological nature and ones heart life are subjugated to the authority of society in its many forms, so, the authentic life is rare indeed, if even possiable in any sense of purity.



God is a metaphor for that which trancends all levels of intellectual thought. It's as simple as that.
Joseph Campbell
 
Khethil
 
Reply Sat 7 Feb, 2009 05:02 pm
@boagie,
Interesting,

At first blush I take the notion of "Living an Authentic Life" to be the extent to which I, though my words and actions, emulate those ideals I esteem to be most valuable and needful.

.... somewhat akin to a personal 'hypocrisy'; or more accurately, the lack thereof.

Thanks

EDIT: Somewhat akin to the categorical imperative
 
boagie
 
Reply Sat 7 Feb, 2009 05:21 pm
@Khethil,
Khethil wrote:
Interesting,

At first blush I take the notion of "Living an Authentic Life" to be the extent to which I, though my words and actions, emulate those ideals I esteem to be most valuable and needful.

.... somewhat akin to a personal 'hypocrisy'; or more accurately, the lack thereof. Thanks

EDIT: Somewhat akin to the categorical imperative


Khethil,Smile

If the above can be consider in line with your heart life then it is one and the same thing. Joseph Campbell's follow your bliss comes to mind. I think if your life is in degree governed by the will of a greater authority and that authority demands of you that you do violate our own nature, and denies you the ability to follow your heart life, this is, the unauthentic life. If you are not reacting out of your own impluse system, then it is the impluse system of some other authority other than the individual subject, your will usurped.
 
Bones-O
 
Reply Sun 8 Feb, 2009 10:48 am
@Idale,
It always amused me that authenticity, even before it was termed within existentialism, is a constant in existentialist works and yet the existentialist thinkers could never resist the urge to add on "... and so we must..." Kierkegaard had us become knights for God, Nietszche had us become supermen, Sartre tried to tie existentialism in with communism, Camus had us increase the quantity of experience... Even the existentialists could not live in an authentic world. It's almost as if without "I must..." the human brain grinds to a halt. So it seems to me anyway.
 
boagie
 
Reply Sun 8 Feb, 2009 11:28 am
@Bones-O,
Bones-O! wrote:
It always amused me that authenticity, even before it was termed within existentialism, is a constant in existentialist works and yet the existentialist thinkers could never resist the urge to add on "... and so we must..." Kierkegaard had us become knights for God, Nietszche had us become supermen, Sartre tried to tie existentialism in with communism, Camus had us increase the quantity of experience... Even the existentialists could not live in an authentic world. It's almost as if without "I must..." the human brain grinds to a halt. So it seems to me anyway.




Bones-O!Smile

"It's almost as if without "I must..." the human brain grinds to a halt. So it seems to me anyway." quote

You are obviously more well versed in existentialism than myself, but, it seems to me if you are not acting out of your own impluse system you are not living the authentic life. Perhaps the reality is that sometimes we can be real, meaning as Nietzsche stated, being that wheel which rolls from its centre, but perhaps only sometimes can we function so, the rest of the time we please others, we please society. It is impossiable for the brain to come to a halt, unless in more than a metaphorical sense, one is brain dead. The world kind of demands a reaction to it, does it not, but, that natural evoking of our impluse systems is in fact, the authentic life, a natural life, responding directly subject to object.


Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.
Joseph Campbell

The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature, with Nature."http://thinkexist.com/i/sq/as4.gif Joseph Campbell quote
 
Bones-O
 
Reply Sun 8 Feb, 2009 03:56 pm
@boagie,
Thanks boagie.

boagie wrote:

Perhaps the reality is that sometimes we can be real, meaning as Nietzsche stated, being that wheel which rolls from its centre, but perhaps only sometimes can we function so, the rest of the time we please others, we please society.

Yes, I was thinking of saying something along those lines in my previous post. If we were truly authentic, we'd probably be a race of sociopaths. If we must live in society, we must quell some individualism. I suppose we should be as authentic as feasible, and no more so.

boagie wrote:

It is impossiable for the brain to come to a halt, unless in more than a metaphorical sense, one is brain dead. The world kind of demands a reaction to it, does it not, but, that natural evoking of our impluse systems is in fact, the authentic life, a natural life, responding directly subject to object.

Smile Yes, I wasn't being literal. I just meant it is almost as if we couldn't make an ethical decision without being told the right thing to do.
 
 

 
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