AN AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
INSPIRED BY THE FINDING GOD ON THE TRAIN STORY
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As I am typing this, I am thinking about how I
really prefer the word "genuine" to " authentic.”
The word genuine – often defined as: truly what
something is said to be, authentic: (of a person,
emotion, or action) sincere.
To be fair, I need to offer the definition for
authentic. The word authentic is defined as:
of undisputed origin; genuine: made or done
in the traditional or original way: based
on facts; accurate or reliable.
OK, genuine just feels stronger than authentic
to me, seeming to have more gravitas. In human,
behavioral terms, I would further add to the
“genuine” definition " - it is what someone is
designed to be," not what they have to be, are told
to be, or what others think they should be, but what
they were "designed" to be - their original intent
for existence here on earth. And often, not what
they turn out to be.
Note, that my added definition uses the phrase
“designed to be,” we might also say “created to be,”
“meant to be,” or “preordained to be,” that is,
decided or determined beforehand.
The definition of genuine listed above starts
with the word “truly,” which adds to the concrete,
actual, tangible nature of the “to be.” Let’s think
of this as the “genotype,” the genetic constitution
of an individual organism, what the organism
is born with. In a spiritual sense, we could apply
this to the individual’s divine self.
Authentic; is of the origin, is genuine but can
then be made or done like the original, based
on the original, even be factual, or accurate.
Here, continuing with my genetic analogy,
authentic seems to be similar, to me, to the
genetic “phenotype;” that is, "built on the set
of observable characteristics of an individual;
resulting from the interaction of its genotype
with the environment;" or in our case, we might
say - the the divine self with the reality of life.
With this framework in place, I would suggest
that we can be both genuine and authentic,
when we realize and acknowledge what we were
designed to be, and based on this foundation,
via our interaction with the environment,
authenticate our original natures.
The revised descriptor that I would propose,
is that we can strive for, and attain a level that
would be considered – genuinely, authentic.
In other words, the divine plan for you, God’s
plan, melded with your plan for yourself,
resulting in a genuine, authentic existence.
Often spiritual teachers seem to focus on our
calling, what God created us and intended us
to be. I do believe this calling does exist, and
is at the heart of what I would consider our
“genuine, soul based, purpose or nature.”
I believe God is constantly working to steer
us towards our genuine mission. Yet, I have
little doubt that God realizes fate and will are
both active in human development, knowing
most “willful” human beings, if they do discover
their genuine calling, will incorporate their own
wants, needs, desires, and plans formulating
a hybrid calling, one that is both genuine and
authentic. - incorporating this “genuine calling,”
with an individual's “human, authentic, calling.
As the Affirmative Thought below suggests,
being genuine does require opening yourself up
and taking a look within, and, it requires that
we work counter to our cultural training and
put ourselves first in this case.
I am not saying here that you should let
the kids starve as you jet off to a monastery
in Tibet. What I am saying is that being
genuine is a major step in our understanding
of ourselves, our purpose, and our spiritual
journey.
THE GENUINE YOU
Open yourself up today to who you are,
what you want, and the path you desire to
follow - reaching for a place of true balance
and equilibrium found in the authentic,
honest pursuit of your dreams, your vision
of heaven on earth.
Open yourself up today to the clarity of
purpose within you, that urges you to live
for you and not for others, the purpose that
says “you must make yourself happy before
you can really inspire happiness in others,”
the purpose within you that knows when you
move towards it or away from the target
of your desires.
Open yourself up today to the genuine you,
the only “you” you should aspire to –
the “you” you were created to become –
the “you” who extends you, excites you,
and vibrates the essence of the successful –
fulfilled – magnificent you.
AT G. 6.15.2012
So, based on this paradigm, I will proceed
by using both genuine and authentic as
descriptors for what I will offer as Facet
Seven of the Crystal Path; Living a Genuine -
Authentic Life. I realize that some readers
will consider this redundancy, exclaiming
that the use of authentic, alone, would suffice.
I guess this just comes down to a matter of
semantics, and I hope you would allow me,
by doing this, to remind us all that spiritual
authenticity involves understanding our
genuine God created natures.
AT G. 6.15.2012
WITH LOVE, G.
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