Agency

   While in Sighişoara, Schäßburg auf Deutsch, and a beautiful town at that, I saw a rather interesting incident involving two adults, a child, and what would appear to be an unavoidably tempting shop with its colourful open air display.

    In the middle of my enjoying a delicious apple and blackberry pie in the middle of the old town I noticed a small family making its way across the square - mom, dad, and junior. As they were on their way out of the greater town centre, junior noticed a shop that had an impressive display of toys, flags, and other potential souvenirs, the kind that are often bought with someone at home in mind, but, shortly after the giving and receiving of such gifts, quickly lose their significance and are added to that greater assortment of junk that everyone is wont to have. 

   Anyway, junior was soon captivated by the collage of colours and craftsmanship and came under the impression that he would very much enjoy a visit to this particular shop. However, his parents had a different agenda; it was their aim to continue their walk out of the square, in direct opposition to junior's hopes. As he began to realize that there was the coexistence of two mutually exclusive sets of goals, he became visibly upset. A great crying and weeping and gnashing of teeth followed from the boy.

   The interesting part was how the parents decided to handle their child. Many of us, myself included, value the notion of being free and having the option to exercise agency in making decisions for ourselves. So, the parents, instead of demanding that he follow them or picking him up bodily, gave him an implicit choice. They simply continued their course away from the shop and out of the square leaving the wailing boy to make his choice.

   Being faced with not only the gravity of making the choice, junior also needed to understand the implications associated with each alternative. Choose the shop and forgo the care and attention of the parents for some unforeseeable amount of time, or play it safe and follow mom and dad. With tears in his eyes, junior turned his back on the shop and trod out of sight. 

   Knowing, even at his young age, that he needed his parents, his decision to forsake the risk associated with being alone reflects what can be seen in many of us. Fear of the unknown can drive people to disregard and ignore whole swaths of life. Maybe, in time, junior will grow into a well-rounded adult capable of making meaningful decisions on his own and of leading a fulfilling life. In a way, that is the point of my being here now. I am hoping that by shining light into previously dark and unknown corners of the world, I too will become something more like a well-rounded and less ignorant person.