what is authenticity if not honesty without the need for applause?

Authenticity is often portrayed as some innate, effortless thing. Either something you have, or something you don’t. We assume it’s instinctive, ingrained, intrinsic to who we are. It’s not. Authenticity isn’t some elusive, mystical thing. It is (much like charisma or empathy or curiosity) something that can be cultivated once you understand what it actually is. And, really, what is “authenticity”…