{"id":23220,"date":"2023-09-04T15:30:37","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T22:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3rdactmagazine.com\/?p=23220"},"modified":"2023-11-06T13:54:38","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T21:54:38","slug":"how-to-be-authentic-simone-de-beauvoir-and-the-quest-for-fulfillment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3rdactmagazine.com\/how-to-be-authentic-simone-de-beauvoir-and-the-quest-for-fulfillment\/book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Skye C. Cleary \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Reviewed by Victoria Starr Marshall<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"
Book Cover: How to Be Authentic by Skye C. Cleary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After reading Skye Cleary\u2019s article, \u201cSimone de Beauvoir Recommends We Fight for Ourselves as We Age,\u201d published in our summer 2023 issue, I was compelled to read her book. I also realized it would be perfect companion reading for this issue\u2019s theme\u2014looking at our lives as a work of art that we create, which is unique, personal, and authentically us.<\/p>\n

Indeed, How to be Authentic<\/em> stretched and challenged me, as I had not previously known much about the philosophy of existentialism. According to Cleary, Beauvoir\u2019s view \u201cis that we exist first\u2014and then spend the rest of our lives creating\u2014not discovering who we are.\u201d And that \u201cto be authentic is to live in pursuit of self-creation and self-renewal, with many different paths toward diverse goals.\u201d And that our life consists of \u201cprojects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bingo. Free to be me. Free to be the designer of my own life. Yet, with that freedom also comes responsibility to others and society\u2019s greater good, and the recognition that due to sexism, systemic oppression, or actions of other individuals, many people don\u2019t get to fully choose their life path. Still, we can all become more conscious of living purposely and responsibly and, importantly, acknowledge every person\u2019s right to become \u201cthe poet of their own lives,\u201d while advocating for those who are oppressed.<\/p>\n

So, I get to be me, and you get to be you, too, if it is not hurting anyone. It\u2019s a philosophy of individuality, tolerance, and of being free in the truest sense. Within this context\u2014and the writings and philosophy of Beauvoir\u2014Cleary tackles some of today\u2019s most intractable challenges: Sexism, ageism, our response to climate change and the pandemic, and our vulnerability to narcissism, fascism, and even mysticism.<\/p>\n

We can all be very good a deluding ourselves. In one fascinating chapter titled \u201cRebellion,\u201d Cleary writes, \u201cBeauvoir highlighted a number of mystifications and tensions that would be helpful to know as we embark on our quests to break oppressive bonds for ourselves and others.\u201d She referred to one as \u201cslack-tivism,\u201d whereby people do enough to fit in, \u201cbut not enough to affect any meaningful change.\u201d She gives hashtag trends as an example, such as posting #blacklivesmatter on Facebook, but never attending a rally: \u201cThese hashtag trends seem to be ultimately about self-promotion. They allow people to feel good about themselves, as though they are advocating for sexual or other justice, but in a way that centers their own reputation. The critical thing,\u201d she continues, \u201cis to move beyond slacktivism and turn awareness into advocacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is so much wisdom and challenge here\u2014 I could quote for pages. A better idea is to pick up the book and discover it for yourself. There\u2019s no more perfect time than now to reach for authenticity.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Skye C. Cleary \u00a0 \u00a0Reviewed by Victoria Starr Marshall After reading Skye Cleary\u2019s article, \u201cSimone de Beauvoir Recommends We Fight for Ourselves as We Age,\u201d published in our summerMore<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-book-review"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment — 3rd Act Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In How to Be Authentic we discover the philosophy of individuality, tolerance, and of being free in the truest sense.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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