And the opposite of authenticity at this level is hypocrisy. Now I know that all of us, at one time or another strike a pose. We try to appear differently to others than what we really are inside. We try to appear confident when we're scared, poised when we are shaken, peaceful when we're anxious, happy when we are grieved, enthused when we are bored, healthy when we are sick, intelligent when we are ignorant, concerned when we are apathetic, skilled when we are clumsy, devout when we are indifferent. On and on goes the list of hypocritical poses which all of us strike from time to time.
Some people are more clever at it than others.
Some have done it so long they are enslaved to inauthenticity. You look again and again but never can seem to find a real person in all their words. But in spite of the fact that we all do this from time to time, we don't really like to do it. We don't have a deep sense of peace and fulfillment when we have successfully deluded everybody about who we really are or what we really feel or think. It creates tremendous stress and guilt when your energies are devoted to appearing rather than being.