The Authentic Self: an oversimplification?

Kung Fu Panda advises finding out who you really are. Some truth in that. But also, to an admirer of complexity, a bit simplistic. Do I have a true authentic self to find?

Continuing to explore my many stories about complex systems. See this first post for an introduction

Kung Fu Panda advises finding out who you really are. Some truth in that. But also, to an admirer of complexity, a bit simplistic. Do I have a true Authentic Self to find? I don’t think so. As a complex being, there is no one true story about me that makes all other stories false. As with all complex systems, I expect to find many stories about myself that have some truth to them. Even stories that are contradictory but still have some truth to them. Recognizing that complexity makes my life simpler.

I certainly tried to find that Authentic Self. A frustrating effort. Then I came across the concept of a Centered Self, and that felt like home for me. Fits right in with my current abstract thinking on complexity. Emotionally satisfying. To have a pure Authentic Self, by contrast, sounds a bit narrow and simplistic. You have to reject all the aspects of yourself that don’t fit.

A Centered Self can be visualized as a circle edged by many aspects of Self. Each aspect faces out, sometimes exposed, sometimes hidden. Those aspects can be pulling in different directions, but still with the same center. Just what you would expect from a complex, emergent self. Contradiction is a feature of complex systems, not a bug. At least, it is when you define complex systems as ones with feedback loops, as I do.

Looking for the center that balances all the aspects feels much more inclusive than trying to find the one that is right and rejecting the others. Displaying the aspect of self that fits the moment is much more dynamic than displaying a single authentic self. If you see life as a dance, as I do, that dynamic self, centered but never fully exposed, feels more at home.

Does that mean anything goes? There is no me in myself? That too is an oversimplification. In my experience, I do have a Center, a steady place where my self resides. A Center is where all the aspects of myself balance out. But, being complex, I don’t ever expect to find the one true story that frames my authentic self and makes other aspects of myself false.

Of course, I never claim my story is the only true view. Some people do seem to find a simple story that fits for them. For me, the dance around the complex center of myself is the story that works for now. Hope it works for some of you out there too.

See the first post for an introduction to this series. See the home page for previous posts on the topic. Of particular relevance is this one on Emergent Properties. For more about the author, see the About page.