How Do You Define An Authentic Life...?

*My* definition would be to live your life toward the goals and according to the values you've set for yourself.

I don't consider it my place to judge other people's goals, so would not presume to judge their lives.

I think it would be the opposite of an inauthentic life, but how do you define that? I think you've created a conundrum.

Actually, I think Shakespeare described it perfectly and simply through Polonius' advice to Laertes: "To thine own self be true."

Only you can define what that means. What works for one person won't work for another. It's like defining happiness. Only you can measure that.

"Authenticity" has lately become a hot topic with the younger folks.  I like that people are thinking about how their lives should be lived, although I hesitate to define this metric or to guide my behavior by how others define it.  I live as I choose under my particular circumstances.  It's authentic enough for me.  I suspect most of us have similar feelings.

I agree to a point. But somewhere along the line, I believe you have to go a little further.  We all have, I think, a responsibility to make the world a better place, be it helping the homeless, tutoring in a school, working to improve the environment or whatever. If you haven't helped others, then in MHO, you haven't lived any kind of authentic life.