Tom over at The TrueTalk Blog seems inspired by our list of Four Fundamentals mentioned in this post. (Phew. I'd feel silly if it didn't get the juices flowing.) Anyway, he's launched into a series called Pennies From Heaven, examining each Fundamental's place in the search for and the quantification of happiness in life and work. Below is a snippet on Authenticity, but go read the rest as he completes them--good stuff.

Experiencing something authentic invariably stands out as a vivid moment. Here's a test: walk into your local supermarket. Most likely, it's been engineered to general revenue in scores of ways: product placement, traffic management, signage. Now, if you're lucky enough to still be able to find one, walk into a neighborhood market and feel the difference. In one, you are a consumer, in the other, you are a person; in one, you hurry, eager to get out, in the other, you linger, savoring what you see, hear, smell; in one, you are task focused and solitary, in the other, you are exploratory and sociable. One experience is manufactured, the other is organic. One experience is bland and generic, the other is vivid and distinctive. One experience: ennui; the other: happiness.

Sweet.

[Seems Tom's affinity with the Fundamentals is viral. After disappointing once too often by saying "sorry, no" to people who ask if bits of the Fouro Worldwide, Inc Table of Elements come in "gimme cap" form, we've begun uploading some art to Cafepress to feed the interest and have some fun...


Cup of Courage? Lust, maybe?.