Reclaiming Our Agency

The clock may have sped up our lives, but it does not have to diminish our capacity for thought

Who controls public policy?

One of the central voices in the Enlightenment, the philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte, declared from his pulpit that “a person should be self-determined, never letting himself be defined by anything external.” This bold emphasis on self-definition and individuality became the guiding light for society. It forged what would become a central tenet of Western philosophy, a vision of the individual as a force unto themselves.

As I entered my teen years, I realized a more mechanistic force was at work, the relentless ticking of clocks, which had transformed the industrial revolution society’s relationship with time. Minute by minute, the clock dictated when to eat, work, pray, and sleep. Life sped up, it became faster, more predictable, and more static. I later learned that Novalis, one of the Romantic thinkers, lamented that the introduction of the clock heralded loss of a deeper connection to nature, writing that:

“Nature has been reduced to a monotonous machine, turning the eternally creative music of the universe into the clatter of a gigantic millwheel.”

Situational Awareness

This brings me to the concept of situational awareness, a skill that was once central to navigating life but now seems to have faded into the periphery of our collective consciousness. Think of a commuter who notices an unusual bag left on a train and alerts authorities, preventing potential harm. Or the voter who not only reads headlines but scours into candidates' policies to make an informed decision. Situational awareness is not just about reacting to what is immediate but also about engaging with the layers of meaning and consequence behind everyday occurrences. It can be cultivated through mindfulness, critical analysis, and an intentional effort to connect the dots of the complex information of modern life. Situational awareness is the ability to perceive, understand, and anticipate events in our environment. It requires not only paying attention to the immediate surroundings but also understanding the broader context, social, political, and cultural, within which those events unfold.

As a society, we have become dangerously complacent in our approach to situational awareness. We bemoan the failings of politicians, yet we do not actively involve ourselves in the democratic processes that could shape better outcomes. While the abundance of information today might seem to make this easier, it often leads to a false sense of engagement. Consuming headlines or scrolling through social media is no substitute for the critical engagement and thoughtful analysis required to truly understand and influence the political landscape. Democracy demands more than passive observation, it requires informed, deliberate action and a willingness to grapple with complexity.

This lack of situational awareness allows those with power and resources to further consolidate their influence, shaping policies and agendas that often serve their interests at the expense of the broader public.

The Elite

Study after study shows that a defining characteristic of the wealthy is their heightened political engagement. In one seminal study, the top 1% were found to exhibit extraordinary political activity, dwarfing that of the general public. From campaign contributions to direct lobbying, their participation operates on a scale unavailable to the average citizen. As the researchers note, the wealthy contact public officials frequently and prioritize issues ranging from tax policy to economic regulation, often reflecting their financial interests over broader societal concerns.

Kristin Goss from Duke University introduced the term “policy plutocrats” to describe wealthy individuals who use their philanthropic ventures as vehicles for social and political change, Goss also cites other researchers to show that these plutocrats are hastening “the transition from public deliberation by an elected government to decisions of self-appointed individuals with no accountability to the public” often with little transparency or public debate. There is a growing power divide between the haves and the have-nots, because we let it happen by being passive bystanders.

The disproportionate influence of the wealthy poses profound challenges for democratic governance. Other researchers argue, the policy preferences of the elite often diverge sharply from those of the broader populace. When governance aligns predominantly with the interests of the affluent, democracy risks devolving into oligarchy.

Overcoming Weak Opinions

Too many of us harbor strong opinions weakly held, shaped by algorithms and fleeting headlines rather than thoughtful engagement. We’ve traded deep reflection for shallow reactions, leaving us ill-equipped to grasp the complexities of the world around us.

But why does situational awareness matter? Because without it, we are adrift, reacting passively to circumstances instead of actively shaping them. It is not enough to merely consume information, we must interrogate it, contextualize it, and apply it to the larger questions of our time. Situational awareness compels us to look beyond our individual lives, to seek out community, and to engage in lifelong learning about subjects that truly matter, science, history, philosophy, and the pressing social issues of our day.

By cultivating situational awareness, we can reclaim a sense of agency. We can move beyond being passive spectators of history being made and become active participants in its unfolding. This might involve practices as simple as staying informed through diverse and credible sources, or as deliberate as engaging in community discussions about pressing issues. Individuals can cultivate situational awareness by actively seeking perspectives different from their own, participating in civic initiatives, and dedicating time to reflect on the broader implications of everyday events. These actions, though small, build the habits of critical thinking and purposeful engagement necessary to navigate and shape our complex world. This requires effort, to listen more carefully, think more critically, and act with greater intention. It requires us to prioritize the long-term over the immediate, the collective over the individual, and the pursuit of wisdom over the allure of convenience.

The clock may have sped up our lives, but it does not have to diminish our capacity for thoughtfulness.

Collective Engagement

In the past, groups of intellectuals and concerned citizens would gather to grapple with these very questions, those that shape societies and define eras. One of the most famous is Churchill’s “The Other Club,” a forum for debating politics and ideas. Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s weekly meetings brought together scientists, politicians, and leaders to exchange ideas and chart new intellectual frontiers. In England, the Romantic poets Coleridge, Wordsworth, Blake, and Keats fueled one another’s creative ambitions and philosophical inquiries.

Across the Atlantic, the Transcendentalists, Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, convened to explore nature, self-reliance, and the limits of human understanding, which still have far reaching impact today. The Bloomsbury Group, including Woolf, Keynes, Forster, and Bell, became a crucible for modernist thought. In 1920s Paris, Hemingway, Pound, Stein, and Fitzgerald engaged in fierce, convivial exchanges that shaped the literary canon of the twentieth century.

Even monarchs recognized the value of such gatherings. The last King of Poland, Stanislaus II Augustus, held his famed Thursday dinners during the Enlightenment. Writers, bibliophiles, military officers, and philosophers would dine and discuss literature, art, and politics. These meals were not merely social events; they were incubators of ideas, a testament to the power of collective intellectual engagement.

What unites these examples is a shared commitment to dialogue and a belief in the transformative potential of ideas. These gatherings were spaces where curiosity flourished, where dissent was welcomed, and where the collision of perspectives forged something greater than the sum of their parts. They remind us that true understanding comes not in isolation but in conversation, in the rigorous exchange of ideas with others who challenge and inspire us.

On a monthly basis, or so, I have the great joy of partaking in such a gathering of deep intellectual conversations and I would like it to be more frequent. I encourage others to recreate such spaces in our their own lives. Whether through formal salons, informal book clubs, or simply deliberate conversations, we must resist the drift toward intellectual solitude. Seeking out these communities of thought can deepen our understanding, sharpen our critical faculties, and strengthen the bonds that hold us together as a society.

The lessons of the past are clear, when we gather to discuss what truly matters, we not only enrich our individual lives but also build the foundation for a more thoughtful and engaged world.

Stay curious

Colin