Authenticity

Alternative is a fellowship, a community of common interests. We discuss questions of human meaning, various themes of Christian belief and wider issues related to modern life in general. We watch films together, finding that the benefits offered in such a medium fit our purposes well. We get together on occasion for activity and fun. In each of these cases we are in fellowship together. One clear connotation of this nomenclature is that we are not primarily about intellectual or social stimulation but about connecting with each other around common interests for the purpose of growth and change in our selves and in our world.

With this in mind, a common goal for us all is to be authentic. To be authentic, according to Webster, is simply "to be of the ascribed authorship or origin". It means we are honest about who we are, where we come from, and our characteristic struggles. So, a common goal for each of us is actually to be, in our lives and in our community together, both in character and in authorship, our true selves. This means that part of our goal is to be able to present ourselves to each other and to tell our own stories in truth.

This is very different from talking about what is true in the abstract. This has more to do with being true, being faithful, and authoring a story that is truly representative of ourselves. This is the kind of truth that we are ultimately looking for in our fellowship together and in our discussions. It is the kind of truth that implies hope that our story can still come out alright, because we are learning to tell it with an honest and hopeful spin, which can also help to guide us. The questions of meaning that we may ask or discuss are never rooted in a vacuum or in the abstract but always in our lives. So, our fellowship is a place for each of us to discover truth by connecting with each other in an authentic way.

This week we are viewing a film called The Station Agent, which is about three people being better for each other and for themselves when they bring to bear their various and respective personal stories. It reels out for us a good example of how difficult this can be and how meaningful it can be to have friends to go with through this curious (and, in truth, sometimes seemingly indifferent) thing called life.