By all outward appearances, we live in a society that prizes independence, ambition, and the self-made person. We celebrate entrepreneurs who built something from nothing, we cheer athletes who rise from obscurity to fame, and we revere stories of personal transformation.
But behind this cultural ideal lies a quieter, less visible divide; one that doesn’t map neatly onto income brackets or political lines. It’s the divide between those who act on the world and those who feel acted upon.
This is, at its core, the difference between high and low agency.
Agency, put simply, is a person’s ability to make intentional choices and act on them. It’s not just a question of motivation or discipline, though those help. It’s a broader, deeper orientation to life: Do you believe your choices shape the world around you? Or do you believe the world happens to you?
High-agency people tend to take initiative. When problems arise, they don’t wait for someone else to solve them. If they feel isolated, they reach out. If a system is broken, they try to fix it; or they find a workaround. When circumstances turn against them, they look for a crack in the wall rather than resign themselves to the architecture.
Low-agency people, on the other hand, often feel as if they are perpetually reacting. They might wait for the boss to notice their value. They might lament political dysfunction without ever attending a meeting or casting a vote. They may say they want change but see the path forward as someone else’s responsibility. This isn’t laziness. More often, it’s a form of quiet despair, reinforced over time by experience, culture, and circumstance.
Before we’re too quick to judge, we should acknowledge that agency doesn’t emerge in a vacuum. It’s shaped by upbringing, opportunity, trauma, and culture. A child raised in a household where choices are respected learns they can have an impact. A child raised in chaos may conclude that control is an illusion. Generational poverty, systemic racism, bureaucratic red tape; these aren’t just barriers to success. They’re barriers to the very belief that effort matters.
Still, agency is not a binary trait. It exists on a spectrum and can shift with time, encouragement, and environment. One person might show high agency at work but feel helpless in their personal life. Another might be assertive in relationships but passive when it comes to long-term planning. And in a time of ever-mounting global uncertainty, even those who are usually resourceful may find their sense of control slipping.
This matters more than we might think. Because societies that tilt too far toward low agency, where people no longer believe they can influence the future, tend to stagnate. Civic engagement falters. Innovation dries up. Mistrust festers. People retreat into apathy or conspiracy theories, or both. At worst, they become easy prey for authoritarian figures who promise to act on their behalf.
So how do we cultivate higher agency? Not by shaming those who lack it. Not by insisting that everyone simply “try harder.” Rather, we build systems that reward initiative, nurture confidence, and offer second chances. We support schools that teach problem-solving, not just obedience. We invest in neighborhoods where people feel seen and respected. We stop treating fortitude as something you either have or don’t and start treating it as something that can be practiced, modeled, and encouraged.
And perhaps most importantly, we each ask ourselves: Where in my life am I waiting for someone else to go first? What could I build, however small, instead of just criticizing what’s broken?
We can’t control everything; not the economy, not pandemics, not the strange weather or the even stranger politics. But we can control whether we stand still or move. Whether we consume or create. Whether we shrink from the world or try to shape it.
In the end, agency isn’t about becoming superhuman. It’s about deciding that your voice, your actions, your choices matter; even if the world hasn’t confirmed it yet.
Join us in making the world a better place – you’ll be glad that you did. Cheers friends.