Authbition Weekly — Deepfakes and Self-Deception
Searching for what’s real—on screen, on the page, and within ourselves
Welcome to the weekly newsletter for Authbition—it’s Authenticity and Ambition. It’s the best of the best, built on vulnerability, non-attachment, caring, thoughtfulness, and whole-mindedness.
On Monday, we returned home from a twelve-day Airstream journey to Western North Carolina. I had been getting the best sleep. But, for whatever reason, my first night back in Raleigh was a sleepless one. My own magic formula didn’t work.
I Found Better Sleep With Meditation, Gratitude, and Reflection
Well, it didn’t work for falling asleep, but it did make my time in bed productive. During the reflection, I did a Rose-Thorn-Bud exercise on the trip that I’ll summarize here.
Rose-Thorn-Bud: Living From The Airstream
Roses
Maximized quality time with Abby, Frank, and Gus (my wife and our dogs)
Much more social time with friends compared to Raleigh (more cycling, breweries, and music)
Productive work week, no television, more reading, and more writing
Healthy lifestyle (walking after meals, hiking together, mountain biking adventures, lost weight without trying)
Windows open all the time (my CPAP never used any water = perfect humidity outside = no “conditioned” air = happy skin)
Thorns
A lot of driving (I walk, cycle, and scooter to get around the city)
I missed my son and our weekly happy hours and dinners
I missed seeing our Wake Forest family and Raleigh friends
No yoga or strength workouts
Buds
Cut down on conditioned air, television, and the seemingly more sedentary lifestyle in Raleigh
As I’m writing this, I feel like I’m in a jet stream of AC
My skin and beard have been angry and itchy since returning home
Be more intentional about seeing friends in Raleigh (mountain biking, music, and gatherings)
Go on a walk after dinner
I just don’t get why it’s so hard when I’m home and so easy when in the Airstream
This Week’s Authbition Podcast
In the spirit of the season, I wrote one of my favorite stories to tell. In 1999, I walked into a Durham movie theater believing The Blair Witch Project was a real documentary.
I walked out questioning what “real” even means.
From found footage to deepfakes, I explore how our sense of truth can be edited—and how I learned to write the script for my own reality.
I recorded the episode at Mama Gertie’s Campground in Swannanoa, North Carolina, surrounded by mountain views and morning fog.
Read the original essay on Medium
Watch or listen on your favorite platform:
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music
Highlight Essay of the Week
This week’s featured essay comes from Melinda Fargo, who writes as Dear Flamingo. In “63-Year-Old Teenager Revisits Her College Application Essay and the Question of Masking,” she looks back on a lifetime of performing for approval—then asks what’s left when the masks finally come off.
It’s a beautiful mirror to this week’s Authbition episode. While my story wrestles with what’s real in a world of found footage and deepfakes, Melinda’s explores what’s real within ourselves after decades of adaptation. Both point to the same truth: authenticity isn’t a single act, it’s a lifelong unmasking.
Thank you for taking the time to read, listen, and watch Authbition. I appreciate you.
Sharing Authbition with your friends and letting me know what resonates is the energy that keeps this podcast journey climbing higher.
Health, happiness, kindness, respect
for every being and all things.
— Andrew
