As we enter the last days of the Christmas season, my thoughts turn to previous Christmases. Some of the Christmas’s that are imprinted in my memory are the ones I spent as a Counsellor. I decide then to always remember that Christmas is not the season of hohohos and wonderful times with the family for everyone. This is loosely related to my thinking about authenticity. I think that it is a time of year when it is easy to become inauthentic, we can easily get caught up in the false jollity that is expected of us.
I want to call us to remember those for whom Christmas is not easy, those under financial strain who cannot afford gifts, those whose family is full of pain, tension and hate, those for whom Christmas brings back memories of past trauma or abuse, those who are having a first Christmas without a loved one or after a divorce, those who are alone and lonely, those on the other side of the world who could be fed for a month on what we consume in a day. Above all I want to call Christians to remember that this is not the season of overeating and overspending rather it is the season to remember that “the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel – God with us. There are many people this season that need reminding that God is with them. As Christians we must take this call seriously – I want to encourage you to make an effort to not become overwhelmed with the expectations and tasks that are on you, take the time to stop and look at what’s happening in the lives of those around you. Take the time to remind them that God is indeed with them this Christmas.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Living in an Unreal World
In a world where reality is fake and a commodity on which TV shows are based, how do we understand what it means to be authentic? Culturally and generationally authenticity is crucial to those I work with, but what does it actually mean?
I’ve wanted to blog about authenticity for a few months now. I either seem to get stuck or end up going off on a (sometimes significant) tangent. I’m hoping if I share with you some of my thoughts, you can respond and hopefully we can help each other think through some of the issues. I have been as guilty as anyone who works with young adults of overusing the word (partly because it is in all the trendy missional books I read) without stopping to think through all the meanings and implications of it. I was challenged to think a bit more deeply about this because I needed to explain what it was and why it was so important to my students to my colleague (who is from the US). He is particularly interested in who gets to decide what is authentic and what is not, and how that happens. One thing I have noticed is that authenticity is not simple, it happens on a myriad of levels all at once, this makes it hard to explain and hard to understand.
Let us start with the dictionary definition of authenticity: not false or imitation, true to one's own personality, spirit, or character[1]. I’m happy with that definition, which is generally what I mean when I use the word authenticity. The reason I have picked up on this from my reading and use it so often is that it resonated as important for me and those I work with. Part of this is a reaction to shallow pop culture, and mass production and mass marketing (thanks Richard for pointing this out). Michael Frost claims that “In a world of hyper-reality, there is an emerging search for authenticity, the championing of real food, culture, politics (rather than Realpolitik), and entertainment.” Kiwi cultural traits also cause us to value authenticity, we love informality, equality and down to earthiness, (what can be more authentic than camping!). The result of this is that we see formality, hierarchy and euphemistic speech as inauthentic. It’s fascinating however that our authenticity only goes so far (probably some of our inherited English reserve), we like to call a spade a spade as long as we are talking about a spade and not our feelings! I get to this point and I am left with the question: Why is the longing and search for authenticity more pronounced among post-moderns (or young adults) than other generations? Perhaps it is just what they have been exposed to and reacted against, I sense it is more than that however.
So the questions I am pondering are: What is authenticity? Why is it important to post-moderns, (Ys, young adults whatever label you want to give them)? Who defines what is authentic or inauthentic?
That’s a start. Next week I want to post some thinking about authenticity and our faith and the presentation of our faith, and what the longing for authenticity means for organisations and churches.
Christina
[1] Merriam-Webster online dictionary
I’ve wanted to blog about authenticity for a few months now. I either seem to get stuck or end up going off on a (sometimes significant) tangent. I’m hoping if I share with you some of my thoughts, you can respond and hopefully we can help each other think through some of the issues. I have been as guilty as anyone who works with young adults of overusing the word (partly because it is in all the trendy missional books I read) without stopping to think through all the meanings and implications of it. I was challenged to think a bit more deeply about this because I needed to explain what it was and why it was so important to my students to my colleague (who is from the US). He is particularly interested in who gets to decide what is authentic and what is not, and how that happens. One thing I have noticed is that authenticity is not simple, it happens on a myriad of levels all at once, this makes it hard to explain and hard to understand.
Let us start with the dictionary definition of authenticity: not false or imitation, true to one's own personality, spirit, or character[1]. I’m happy with that definition, which is generally what I mean when I use the word authenticity. The reason I have picked up on this from my reading and use it so often is that it resonated as important for me and those I work with. Part of this is a reaction to shallow pop culture, and mass production and mass marketing (thanks Richard for pointing this out). Michael Frost claims that “In a world of hyper-reality, there is an emerging search for authenticity, the championing of real food, culture, politics (rather than Realpolitik), and entertainment.” Kiwi cultural traits also cause us to value authenticity, we love informality, equality and down to earthiness, (what can be more authentic than camping!). The result of this is that we see formality, hierarchy and euphemistic speech as inauthentic. It’s fascinating however that our authenticity only goes so far (probably some of our inherited English reserve), we like to call a spade a spade as long as we are talking about a spade and not our feelings! I get to this point and I am left with the question: Why is the longing and search for authenticity more pronounced among post-moderns (or young adults) than other generations? Perhaps it is just what they have been exposed to and reacted against, I sense it is more than that however.
So the questions I am pondering are: What is authenticity? Why is it important to post-moderns, (Ys, young adults whatever label you want to give them)? Who defines what is authentic or inauthentic?
That’s a start. Next week I want to post some thinking about authenticity and our faith and the presentation of our faith, and what the longing for authenticity means for organisations and churches.
Christina
[1] Merriam-Webster online dictionary
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