We long for the authentic. Texting a friend may be fun, calling and hearing their voice brings them even closer, but nothing compares to actually spending time with them. We’ve all heard (and many have painfully experienced) that while advancements in technology and communication promise to bring the world closer, they result in a painful gap; creating a façade of closeness while leaving people at unprecedented levels of loneliness.
Yet when we deal with people face to face, we are faced with an even deeper problem. While we are physically seeing the real them, they are usually hiding behind layers after layers after layers, and reaching the real them seems to be the arduous feat of an expert digger.
But before we start pointing fingers, let’s pause to think of ourselves. Are we too hiding behind layers? Do we really reflect on the outside who we are on the inside? Or are we looking for an authenticity in those around us yet fail in being authentic ourselves?