Autonomous Counterfeit: Skeptical

Autonomous means relying on your own experiences and judgments to provide context for new information. Maslow described this quality as “independent of culture and environment.” To Maslow’s meaning, I add two concepts: reciprocity and engagement. Reciprocity joined to autonomy recognizes the give and take between the individual and the cultural environment. Engagement joined to autonomy requires you to actively seek that give and take. You cannot sustainably define yourself by the community, but it is important to realize how your environment shapes you as well as your opportunity to shape your environment.

The counterfeit of autonomy is skepticism. As a skeptical individual, you pick and choose among new information counteracting calls to personal responsibility and the duty to contribute to the common good. You often speak of “gut feelings” and anecdotal evidence that contradicts information garnered from multiple sources. Often, this character is so practiced that you are surprised when asked to produce objective evidence. You hold up confirmations with vocal wonder about the growth and learning of the other, questioning, “Is he ready for this?”

You strive to be the voice of caution—to be received as wise and self-reliant. But, your contribution to the group is only an attempt to self-aggrandize—to make yourself an authority. We may, at first, act on your slight evidence due to your insistence, but your lie will gradually be ferreted by the presentation of evidence to the contrary. What is more, your relationships with others will fail due to your refusal to take responsibility and your flippant attitude toward the group setback that your skepticism has caused.

To be truly autonomous, use your own experiences as a funnel, not a filter. Review all new information without prejudice or predilection. Recognize that your growth and learning occurs in the context of information gleaned from the culture and environment. Your decisions about action result from an objective assessment of the best route for you as individually responsible for your choices. Also insist that your success contribute to the success of the group. Realize that others are capable of similar growth and learning by information. Your question is not whether another has grown, but whether she has been informed.