Authenticity and Agency

TMON-89: The Myth of Normal, Chapter 26, Song 2
Alex Hickey ©2025
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This song is based on information in Chapter 26 of The Myth of Normal, a book written by Dr. Gabor Maté with Daniel Maté. You can find more information about this book on Dr. Maté's website: https://drgabormate.com/book/the-myth-of-n...

I am writing a series of songs in response to the ideas in this book, sometimes in combination with ideas from other books by Dr. Maté and some of his colleagues.

These are my interpretations of these ideas. I acknowledge that I can make mistakes, misunderstand and/or take poetic license when transforming these ideas into songs. I welcome questions in the comments section and refer you to the book itself as the final authority about what it is saying.

Lyrics:
Authenticity and Agency
In our capitalist society
They try to make facsimiles
And sell ‘em to us, down at the store

It might be a fast car or a fancy dress
That they claim will lift our mood or eliminate our stress
They say it will make us fit in, but also be better than the rest
Well, it’s no wonder, we’re confused

To be authentic is to just “be us”
Sometimes we whistle; sometimes we cuss
Gotta know what delights us and what disgusts
And stand up for our truth

When we can’t do that we will get depressed
Weighed down by the burden of the things we can’t express
Tryin’ to hide our vulnerability and loneliness
We find ourselves, wandering and lost
They’ve shown us the prize, but they’ve hidden the cost

And, you know agency is much the same:
Our culture treats it like a game.
It promises us fortune and fame
Just “Be all you can be”

We’re told that we should all achieve some mighty goal
Pretending there aren’t many things we can’t control
Dissatisfaction and frustration can open like a hole
And we can fall in, following that siren’s call.

They don’t teach us, ‘cause they don’t know
What it takes to truly grow
So we keep searching high and low
To find it, out in the world.

When we need to look inside, get curious
Learn to discern what’s real and what is spurious
Recognize and own when we feel sad or glad or furious
Then learn how to hold and stay with it.

Authenticity and agency
When we’re healing’ that’s what we need
And we also need the capacity
To be angry and accept
And that song’s coming next.

#gabormate #authenticity #agency #growth #humandevelopment #innerwork #mindfulness #conscience #consciousness #consciousnessraising #captalism #materialism #toxicculture