Do authentic people exist? 5 keys to identify them
Genuine individuals: what traits characterize them and how do they get that way?
Taking a look at what we know about our history, it seems that we humans have always wanted to appear more than we are, it seems that human beings have always wanted to appear more than what we are.. Both through the exaggeration of the characteristics that define us and through the invention of traits that, deep down, do not characterize us. This happens at the collective level, as seen for example in the great monuments designed to impress, but also, and this is the most painful of all, at the individual level.
And I say it is painful because, beyond how bad certain people who live for and in order to appear what they are not, vanity is, in reality, vanity, vanity is, in reality, something that prevents us from getting to know people.... A barrier that keeps us apart, wherever it exists to a greater or lesser extent.
And this becomes a problem when we ask ourselves the key question....
Who is safe from vanity?
When we have to make quick decisions about who to direct our attention to, we often end up surrendering to the possibility of we often end up giving in to the possibility of judging through appearances and clichés and favor people who wrap their identity in them. We like authentic people more, but we favor those who live by image.
Yes, authenticity is not characterized by having been very abundant years ago, but some say that today authentic people are in critical danger of extinction. The reasons? The culture of spectacle, the importance of image over content, the dictatorship of rapid consumption. These are principles that seem to belong to the realm of advertising, marketing and markets, but which are increasingly invading the human, the personal.
Being honest pays for itself
It is not only vain behavior that is positively reinforced. Honesty is also punished.. This is logical, considering that many studies show that a large part of professional success also depends on our personal image. It happens in virtually any field of work, but it is somewhat extreme in the case of professions in which aesthetics is decisive.
In certain social networks such as Instagram, we can see how there is a bubble of speculation based on aesthetics. We saw it in the case of model Stina Sanders and the scandal that formed when she started uploading selfies without makeup, or in the case of Essena O'Neill.
How to recognize authentic people?
It's no wonder that authentic people can be hard to find: they are buried under a barrage of social dynamics that invite you to stop acting the way they do.
However, with a little dedication and practice, it is possible to recognize someone whose way of being and acting is consistent with their way of thinking. it is possible to recognize someone whose way of being and acting is consistent with his or her way of thinking..
Knowing these basic characteristics can help to vindicate this way of understanding life and, in addition, to evaluate oneself to know if one is succeeding in linking personal development to the conquest of an authentic personality.
Which people are really authentic? Their basic characteristics are as follows.
1. They do not constantly think about their image
This is possibly their most defining trait. Of course, everything is relative, so authentic people may spontaneously think about how they are seen by others, but this does not become an obsessive loop..
This means, for example, that they rarely ask for a second opinion about their appearance.They do not worry about appearing indifferent to their image, something that ironically could happen if they were very rigidly or dogmatically attached to an aesthetic current that by pure conventionalism we relate to nonchalance and the alternative (hipsters, punks, etc.).
2. They do not force their non-verbal language
This is a practical consequence that derives from the previous characteristic. People who try to adopt very impostured movements and tone of voice are relatively easy to recognize, because it takes a lot of work to learn a series of movement patterns that do not correspond to those we have been learning and using since our childhood.
In this way, their non-verbal language is natural and you will not see them trying to you will not see them trying to pretend what they are not..
3. They are not afraid to show their opinions
Authentic people speak as freethinkers, and will clearly express their ideas, even if they may seem very radical or strange.The reasons? They know that in most spaces the free expression of their ideas will not give them serious problems, and therefore they do not renounce to take advantage of the possibilities offered by a good conversation with someone.
This makes them good conversationalists, although sometimes their reflections can cause controversy among those accustomed to a politically correct line of argument.
4. They try to understand others
Leaving vanity and misunderstood pride behind also implies, to a greater or lesser extent, renouncing clichés and clichés, renouncing clichés and stereotypes to try to "read the mind" of someone you don't know very well. you don't know very well.
Where other people throw in the towel excusing themselves in the belief that they already know what the other person is like, authentic people take on the challenge of matching their way of understanding reality with those of their interlocutors.
5. They do not prejudge
Authentic people are not very fond of making decisions based on how their possible options are presented to them.. Therefore, they like to re-examine what happens to them, taking into account which things are objective and which are simply biases and prejudices arbitrarily fabricated by others.
This does not mean that to be authentic one cannot be impulsive, but rather that they do not fall into easy judgments and question prevailing opinions. What they call "rebellious spirit".
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)