Musings

“In the language of authenticity, he is a single comma.”

That’s it. That is the quote. This sentence came to me in a dream. So, what does it mean? I think it can be interpreted in two ways. Either amongst the authentic mortals, he is spurious or on the other side of the coin, he is as real as it gets.

He is Spurious

Inauthenticity is a human plight. So many people present a facade to the world that is not truly who they are. They Facetune, they post on their best days, they use green screen or special effects to hide who they are as a person. They put their best foot forward and conceal the parts they consider ugly. They carry shame with them and do not tell the online community that they recently lost their job, they cannot pay their bills, their relationship ended or their visa was rejected.

When someone is a single comma or they get K-leg (another way of saying something is amiss), this could be interpreted as a person is bogus. In other words; they are not genuine, they are fake. In their real, personal lives, they could be going through something terrible but they put on their best smiles and cry in the privacy of their room. Obviously, one can choose what should be shared with the world but if you are the total opposite of what you present online, maybe you should take a step back and reflect unless you happen to be playing a character.

People respond to realness which is why people like Keke Palmer, Cardi B, Rihanna, Trevor Noah are really popular. They are praised for their authenticity. They are messy and loud and make mistakes and have errors in judgement and we celebrate them for it. Showing up as your real self is a brave endeavour and it takes practice but it is profoundly better than suffering alone in the dark.

He is as Real as it Gets

Realness is celebrated all over the world except in the case of ageing naturally it seems. Having the courage to show the messy parts of you, the unrefined aspects is something we should aspire to. Being genuine is important. There’s no need to green screen a ski cabin in the Alps when you are in a room in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria.

A lot of people curate their social media persona to showcase the highlights so we should not rely on comparisons to other people’s lifestyles as a barometer for success in any aspect of our lives. Easier said than done. It’s so easy to see someone’s trip or birth announcement or job promotion online and stack our own life experiences against theirs. We feel unfulfilled, depressed, envious. We just have remember that things are not always what they seem.

As one can see, being authentic is not always easy. It is a journey fraught with several obstacles. You could fall into the trap of always showing your highs and never your lows. In the language of authenticity, he is a single comma.