Personal Agency Renaissance

What separates those who live it and those who don't.

We are entering a landscape where Optimists vs Pessimists, Rich vs Poor, Conservative vs Liberal no longer dictate the narrative in the West. The new divide is those who see the Personal Agency Renaissance and those who don’t.

What do I mean by the Agency Renaissance? An explosion of permutations and possibilities to enjoy living and earning on your own terms.

The 15-17th century Renaissance was the transition period from the Middle Ages to Modernity, filled with change in fields like art, science, architecture, politics. For someone to take part in that Renaissance, as a minimum, you would have to know how to read and write. Additional qualities like math and interdisciplinary knowledge were a plus and allowed a person to take full advantage.

Today, there are also qualities that let you take part in the current Renaissance of personal opportunity. The problem is that many people cannot see it or overcome the increase of complexity they feel. The growing divide between the beliefs and content consumption of these two groups is growing and the differentiating traits are worth a look…

Relative Utopia for those who can see

Just the sheer number of options to construct life how one wishes is huge compared to any time in history. Whether you want a life  in the cocoon of a beautifully decorated home van traversing nature with minimal tech like this couple, or you want to create breakthroughs like this 14-year-old America’s Top Young Scientist, inventing a 50 ct bar of soap that treats skin cancer - the spectrum of possibilities is boundless for those willing to engage their imagination. Yet…

The personal agency utopia demands a unique skill: the art of focusing inward, where the definition of success is not plucked from the external, but forged within the crucible of one's own aspirations.

There are many forces at play that prevent someone from going after their dream life.

As the tide of Personal Agency Renaissance swells, there is a counter current dragging some people into a personal dystopia—an abyss of ineffective beliefs and activity. Here is how I see the futureproof Agency qualities compared to the qualities dragging someone down into a Personal Dystopia:

Personal Dystopia 

Imagine being in the 15th century: Some are getting pumped up to create and live the Renaissance. At the same time, you have a device in your pocket with a bunch of voices telling you: “No need to focus on getting literate, that is for those who are richer and have more opportunity than you. You are a victim and you are owed by “Them”. They created a system that is evil and unfair. Come and identify with us and let's spend our lives trashing the system together”. 

Think of the millions of young people finding “community” in multiple identity groups like “Sigma”,”Incels”, “tradwives” and what not. 

Think those protesting something like climate change, without a well-thought out clear realistic ask vs solution architects. 

Think healthy young people who allow themselves the luxury to bemoan the lack of opportunity and fairness (in the most prosperous and opportunity rich time in history) vs those who are powered by their limitations, take chances and create their own opportunities. (Many immigrants like me, from actual non-functioning countries, find this phenomen incredulous in the West.)

You might say - it was always like that. Yet, the differences are growing and the divide is more noticeable. Technology changed engagement with news and each other, whilst giving us wider access to innovation and opportunities. There is valuable information amongst the heaps of garbage. But, let’s not forget: If you are worried about your abilities to attract a mate or “make it” - the algo will amplify the things you click on. This is a new way to get stuck in a bubble of ineffective beliefs.

Kids are not born with an innate curating mechanism (yet). 

It is up to the parents to guide them towards development of a shockproof bullshit detector. It is highly unlikely they will get one at school. That is where the ‘annoying’ question-asking is nipped in the bud after a certain age. Schools, which have to optimize for grades and exam passing, have no time for frivolities like development of real independent thought.

In the meantime, the world keeps adding hurdles for one to develop it…

Today, You can get addicted to watching how other people live, what 10-step plans to success they follow (which will not work for you anyway). You can indeed have AI manipulate your desires and attention, if you are not sure what you actually want in life. Then there is the constant allure of passionate protests for causes you have zero actual impact on. One can succumb to peacocking in endless virtue signaling contests.

Alternatively, you can live wherever you want, invent your own job aligned with your values, get paid doing what you love in a multitude of ways and freely access knowledge and wisdom that was once a privilege reserved only for the affluent. You can create innovation that the world needs and get funded regardless of your social status, if your idea is good. You can easily meet people from all over the world, who share your niche interests.

Depending on which way you are leaning, you have more opportunity to get entrenched in your warrior-victim bubbles, or have more tools to build freedom, create and live a myriad permutations of one’s choosing. 

To navigate this labyrinth, one has to drop the addiction to external validations, the siren call of futile endeavors, and the paralysis induced by societal programming. You have to know what you don’t want, if you are not sure yet about what you do want. It is a delicate ballet where autonomy of mind has to be fiercely guarded against the deluge of information and opinions. Regular time alone journaling, questioning my beliefs and actions, zooming in on how they serve me, has worked for me. This was a good nudge to keep at it from writer Jed Mc Kenna:

“You just have to keep at it, keep going, constantly reminding yourself of what you’re doing and why, because as soon as you stop you start to sink again and the next thing you know you’ll be sitting in a nursing home thinking back to that long ago night when some crackpot stood in front of the dancing flames and shooting sparks and told you not to let it slip away, but you did, and now it’s too late.”

Below are some of the articles I wrote that can guide a young person towards embracing the Personal Agency Renaissance as opposed to joining the self-identified ‘incels’:

Next level of Freedom - On the joys and use of adversity and what a shockproof bullshit detector gives you

Kids proving how school was holding them back  - About kids who are breaking out of traditional education, spend ⅓ of usual time on academics, actually graduate with better results, whilst having spent the freed-up time creating profitable businesses and real life experience.

Science agreed with some of Religion. Kids wellbeing can profit - The sign to the door out of the meaning crisis

Awe for the Intellectual - Engaging the right brain hemisphere and experiencing awe 

What Beliefs will your children inherit? - Talking about the downside of unquestioned beliefs about group belonging and entitlement.

The Stuff Fears are made of - A live look at debunking fears and beliefs through the use of self-inquiry.