Sarah Jillings discussed the
importance of authenticity. In order for the world affirm us for who we truly are, we have to be willing and able
to show the world our “real” selves. I
agree that pretending to be somebody we are not, keeping true expression inside
is a binding, unhappy way to go through life.
As I thought about it, I wondered who my true self is. Who am I?
That is a very complicated, overwhelming question to which I do not
think there is an answer. Humans cannot
identify themselves in a word, sentence, essay, or even a million words. It is impossible to define who someone is
because we are always changing.
Identities are not a concrete concept.
We can, however, have a good sense of our core selves and values, of who
we want to be. We can have
self-confidence. We can show our current
selves—but that doesn’t mean we have to be able to define them.
Timothy
Treadwell showed his authenticity in his determination to pursue his passion
regardless of public scorn and judgment.
In some ways, he is being his real authentic self. He discards federal law, leaves home and
loved ones behind to protect the bears.
However, he lacks connection with other people to reaffirm his identity,
who value his place and contribution to the world. To fill this void he lies to himself—makes
himself believe he has profound connections with the bears. Although he may feel connected, this is not
the type of connection Sarah Jillings is referring to because it lacks
reciprocation. He has to lie to himself
to trick himself into thinking he is happy.
The lies
are not very authentic. But if lies are
inescapable, we don’t exactly have a choice. Is complete bliss ever truly
achievable? If we have to lie to
ourselves to get it, is the happiness we feel “real”?
I sort of disagree with the idea that Treadwell is actively lying to himself. Don't you think that he honestly believes that he and the grizzlies share these connections? To us these friendships don't seem real because we can see the obvious lack of reciprocation from the bears. However, I don't think Treadwell even sees this disconnect.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I tend to agree that there is a question of whether or not Timothy Treadwell was really authentic. He unfailingly defended his actions regarding the bears, and seemed to do anything it took to “protect” them, however, he was also clearly lying to himself in order to keep his reality alive. He never got close enough to the bears to allow them to break his fantasy. For example, in the scene when he was swimming with the bear and it responded negatively to him, he ignored the obvious rebuffed love, and instead pretended like he actually wanted the bear to leave anyways. Over those thirteen summers Treadwell needed to convince himself that the bears reciprocated his love, and that what he was doing was important for the bears in order to feel needed and purposeful. In reality though, no matter how hard he tried to believe it, neither of those facts could be true. These two opposing views of his authenticity then make me wonder which one is a more important factor in his happiness? Can one side be enough to disregard the other?
ReplyDeleteLooking back, my point was not so much that Treadwell was "making" himself believe the lie, more that it is a natural human tendency to fill the voids in our lives with foma--whether it is a conscious effort or not.
ReplyDelete