Genuine

I would need to write a paragraph on what it means to be genuine, but I recognize a genuine human being readily. A genuine person basically presents no guise or guile in normal human interactions. He or she is the "real article". 

Few of us, as adults, walk through life as our genuine selves. Why is that? Well, I believe roles are foisted upon us at a very early age by parents and our social environment. Here in 2012 I still see babies of various ethnicity and classes clad in their assigned blue or pink, for example. Sports insignia are worn generally on everyday clothing to present a conformist identity. Television and the Web market to image and role with everything from cars to toothpaste. 

To be a genuine human being entails being somewhat vulnerable. Individuals do not conform naturally to one-size-fits-all social groups. Some can readily adapt, mimic and conform. Others struggle to simple be true to themselves in the face of social pressure. They are often the brunt of mockery and violence.

As a nurse and a humanist, I have appreciated the genuine person in my care and in my social environment. That person may be debilitated and impoverished by schizophrenia or fortunate enough to have inherited a fat trust fund from highly functional parents. Those details do not matter. That is the remarkable thing about genuine people.

Being genuine, true to the true nature of the person within, allows a human being to connect with other open minds more easily. The practice of self-awareness and self-development inevitably leads to a discovery of the genuine person within. Getting acquainted with that person isn't always comfortable or easy at first for those who are prone to be conformist. However, the rewards, as well as the difficulties, for being genuine in daily life are deep and very personal.