fictionsmith

I’ve had an apostrophe.
(yes, this is a long post)

Musings have been made
over the idea of identity lately.

Branding has also been a topic
of much research for me.
And in the end, one word
keeps cropping up: Authenticity

The long and short of it
is that people will sniff out
when you’re catering to them
instead of being yourself.

Which brings up an excellent question:
How do you define ‘being yourself’?

• Is it when obvious sources of influence are mashed together enough that it’s not obviously derived from one source and now considered ‘uniquely you’?
• Is it when you dress differently enough that you look like you aren’t obviously influenced by marketing?
• Is it when you act differently enough that you don’t copy catchphrases or riddle your speech with quotes from movies and TV shows?

Then I asked myself:
“Who did you use to be,
and what’s different now?”
Can I mix & match the parts
I like better from then & now?

I reinvented myself upon arriving at college.
I didn’t think twice about it then.
I didn’t want to be who I was anymore.
I became happy with who I became.

I was also surrounded by people
that I was glad to emulate,
because they were happier than me,
so imitating them made me happier.

Epiphany: Part One (the lesser)
My identity is shaped not only by what I do, but who I am when around those I surround myself with, listen to, or read works by.

Epiphany: Part Two (the greater)
All this talk about who I am caused me to realize how fruitless the pursuit was to mold my own identity when compared to what I’m called to be, which is an imitator of Christ.

It’s amazing how much simpler life gets
when you take yourself out of the equation. 

Focusing on others is so much more fulfilling than wondering whether people will like me better if I wear my favorite vest or whether they’ll think I’m trying to be a pretentious artist who is just denying to himself that he’s actually a hipster… (yeah, that just got personal)

As Paul wrote to the Greek church in Ephesus: “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

So what does that look like?
It looks hard.
It asks a lot.

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those that curse you,
pray for those that abuse you.

To one that strikes you on the cheek,
offer the other also,
and from one who takes away your cloak,
do not withhold your tunic either.

Give to everyone who begs from you,
and from one who takes away your goods
do not demand them back.

And as you wish that others would do to you,
do so to them.”
~Jesus (Luke 6:27-31, emphasis mine)

In conclusion:
I’m not being who I was made to be
if I’m not imitating Christ,
because any path/identity focused on me
doesn’t lead to long-term happiness
or security.

Adam was created in God’s image,
and ever since his fall,
every generation has been
a slow move toward perversion or reunion
with the original plan of Eden.

I’d rather aim for the latter
than the former.

vcD,
-R