When we enter this world, we are naturally and irrevocably entered into an agreement with the society around us. Everywhere, at every time, humans form mutual agreements with each other regarding their conduct and their place in society’s overall structure. These are as formal as government and laws and as informal as societal and social “norms.” True autonomy doesn’t exist; we have evolved past that in favor of organizing our species for safety and preservation.
From the moment you were born, you have been subject to these structures. You were most likely born in a hospital, surrounded by trained staff following strict procedures. Your family has their own subset of regulations by which you must abide for the first part of your life. The food you eat is not produced by your family, the books you read not written by them, even the water you drink not made safe by them. There is structure, substructure, and superstructure, each taking a part away from true autonomy.
To recognize and confront the idea that you are not truly free can be terrifying. No one is, or really ever has been, according to these definitions. There is freedom found in personal choice and virtue, but even those are informed by other systems and experiences of which we did not choose to be a part. What makes a thought truly your own?
These questions can continue to spiral, but the reality is that each one of us was born into a set of roles and relationships, and much of that will determine our lives. Each person a child, a citizen of a country, and a human being, at the bare minimum. We go through life, then, filling different roles, adding, changing, or removing hats at any given time.
In order to gain the most autonomy over yourself, it is important to be aware of the roles that you are currently occupying, what obligations they entail, and what payoff you receive for fulfilling the duties of the role. Take the role of Citizen. All people are citizens of somewhere; a citizen is expected to pay taxes, follow the laws of the land, vote for representatives and laws (in a Democracy), and generally act for the common good; the payoff is that the government provides for basic needs, upkeeps infrastructure, and provides a structure for keeping order. These are non-exhaustive definitions, but they provide a view of the whole. Roles function as three parts: title, duties, and return.
Titles can be attained voluntarily and involuntarily. With voluntary titles, you can make a choice about whether it seems worthwhile. These can be jobs, or deciding whether or not to get married or have children, or community leadership positions. Involuntary titles are trickier: you don’t choose your biological family, citizenship, or your humanity. These pre-determined titles necessarily require loss of some autonomy, but if you avail yourself of the other two parts of roles, some of that power comes back.
Each title has a subset of duties that you can fill as well or as poorly as you’d like. In a good role, the duties will offer equal or better returns for your time and efforts. But, if the returns are not worth the obligations, the roles can be shifted and the obligations narrowed. Some titles can even be shed, with the right amount of effort and insight.
The framework has been pre-determined, but it is in your control to shift away from obligations that do not offer proper return. This is how you reclaim (some) autonomy— choosing your roles when you can, and deciding what your roles mean to you when you can’t.
In examining the roles that govern your life, you will find the power to change what you can and accept that which is immovable.
Edited by Jeremy Harr and Abigail McKay Cherry