Know What's Happening in Human Potential

A Guide to Staying Human (Part 1): Desperately Seeking Agency

In the first episode of the "Staying Human" series, Nate Hagens links rising global crises—exemplified by Operation Epic Fury—to a personal loss of agency. He explains how learned helplessness, self‑efficacy deficits, and attention‑fragmenting digital platforms condition the nervous system to freeze rather than act. Hagens proposes three low‑friction practices—voluntary speed bumps, keeping tiny promises, and protecting an hour of intentional time—to rebuild self‑trust. He frames individual agency as a prerequisite for collective, institutional change in the 21st‑century metacrisis.