“Be yourself” is terrible advice

But then, a part of me that I could not comport with what I thought was my authentic self would wonder why I didn’t get asked on second dates, or why people thought I was antisocial, or mean, or hated Slate. Heidegger thought (extremely roughly) that knowledge of one’s authentic self could be found through the consideration of our own mortality: that feeling you might get after you have a near-death experience. It is very nice to have thoughts that you think to yourself and don’t tell anyone about.A year or so ago I got a dog, who has been pivotal in making me less of an asshole because I have to talk to her in a baby voice for three hours a day, and when I am walking her people stop me on the street to ask what breed she is and admire her snaggletooth, and I have found that it is really fun to stop and preen and talk about her with strangers.

Source: theoutline.com