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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Is It Instinct?



Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity. – Coco Chanel 

Once, when I was in a visioning group for a client of mine, working with them to determine a vision for the organization's future, a participant said, "What has come out of the recession is a yearning for the authentic, the real. People are wary of investing time and money into the typical. They want something human." 

This comment struck a chord with me and made my mind rapid fire. It is a trend I recognized but had not articulated. Because we don't have a massive amount of imaginary capital, we have to be smarter about our choices to as to not waste resources. We are finite, yet our actions have infinite implications. When we follow our desire for authenticity, we reap the benefits of more human connection, less bullshit to wade through,  and a knowledge that our actions made a difference. If it isn't instinct telling us to be more human, what is it?



4 comments:

  1. Have I told you yet how excited I am for this blog? I've read every post since I got back from the fair and find myself nodding in agreement. What fun to meet a fellow WA blogger, with heart, soul and writing skills to match.

    As for this topic, I'd like to add that I feel that though the recession has hastened the hunger for authenticity, the real, it seems implicit to me that most of that yarning stems from the rapidly changes of our world. In the last five years our perception of reality has become increasingly scattered, our lives more and more complex and technology-driven and our work lives the casualties of the speed-up. I think that the low din of reality that has begun to inhabit our thoughts is a result of the basic human need for simplicity and as you said connection. A fine paradigm shift, that.

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  2. it's so true. i think that many factors have bottle-necked into this desire for authenticity. the economy has certainly been part of that. and i think gave the phenomenon a push from the practical side of things. as you say, we can't afford to waste resources.

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  3. I completely agree with this.I think the recession ( dare we say "depression?) has stripped away a lot of deadwood. The illusions of material prosperity and professional advancement tend to have us coming at things with too much ego in my opinion. Whats left is a more authentic self. Especially in America, where depression runs high, I feel it's because too many of us are out of touch with our own center.

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  4. Thank you so much for your comment about my photos. I'm so pleased you liked them. I agree with Milla above - heart and soul and writing skills to match. Happy blogging!
    Catherine

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