Renata Gordon
Sep 6, 2018 · 2 min read

The You Who Just Is

Sometimes an old song ignites the moment. Maybe a friend brings up something you said years ago. It could just be the way a ray of light hits the refrigerator in the afternoon and the dust dances on it — in that light we see a glimmer of our authentic self— who we want to forget that we abandoned. We’ve learned over time to be something other than them. It sounds sad. It is. The world isn’t getting the real us.

Who were you when you were young and had no reason to impress anyone? Who were you when you had no agenda? That is the best you that you’ll ever be — the you who just is.

So many problems, disorders, and addictions are caused by contorting into something other than ourselves, when in fact the world is starving for those real selves. Even if it doesn’t seem so — society is starving for authenticity. Endless attempts have been made in art and culture at originality, and no matter how shocking, most have missed the mark. Authenticity undermines the foundations of the establishment. It is the key to originality. It’s also a highly valuable commodity. How many times will we repeat, “I wish I would have done that when I had the idea — look at how successful that guy was in pulling it off!”

What the hell are we afraid of? Rejection? Give people a fake representation of yourself, and they will still reject you. It will hurt the same, and you won’t have the benefit of having been yourself. What are we reaching for? There’s no better someone than who we are. It takes no effort to be them either.

Many of us will probably go our whole lives without ever being… known. What a joy it is to be known. What a fulfillment of purpose. What a communication. What a connection. We were put on the Earth for just that. Here’s your old song — your dust dancing on the light. Here’s the moment that will remind you of the you who just is. Grab it. Take a bite, ingest it — and become it.

    Renata Gordon

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