It’s funny—when we try hard to prove we’re real, we end up performing that very act. The quest for authenticity turns into a stage, and the “authentic self” gets buried behind a mask we’re constantly refining. So we chase an ideal that keeps shifting, and what feels true might just be a new version of the performance. Maybe the trick is to let go of the label and accept that the only constant is change, even if that feels less authentic at first.