Why do I call this "authenticity"? Simply because I believe authenticity is the essence of personal honesty.
Once I was told by an old friend who hoped I would climb the conventional ladder to success in politics, that she was very disappointed in me leaving the Conservative party and doing what I have done in life. I replied to her, "This above all else: to thine own self be true."
It is authenticity which characterizes my life. Each person receives and can become a unique message to the world. To be true to that message is what I have tried to do. This may be Western Canadian separation and the creation of a new nation of Western Canada, or fighting as a lawyer for liberty against the tax man, hate speech laws, war crimes, in defamation or other actions where I defend the weak against the powerful or the individual against the state. It may be the way that I treat my land, my friends, my family, my country or my God. It may be building a rock wall. It is what I strive for: authenticity.
