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Being an agent, actor or author

Who is driving your life? Do you let yourself be led by your circumstances? Do you follow what someone else wrote for you? Are you the author of your story?

Xavier Zubiri suggests that a person can take various positions in life: be an agent, an actor or a performer.

Agent

The person who acts as an agent in life does what corresponds to what has been given to him: family and personal circumstances, genetic traits, capabilities. He does not go beyond “what is given.” He feels, in some way, determined and constrained by “reality” (although this could be an interpretation of his mind). And because he feels limited, he receives everything as an imposition, which is why he experiences an emotion of impotence.

He who lives as an agent does not realize all that he can achieve, how he can relate to reality in another way. He simply takes what he has received, positive or negative, as it was given to him.

Actor

The person who takes on the role of an actor is carried away by the plot of life, by roles, circumstances, luck. In this case, the man is not the master of his life; he does what is expected of his role, so he does not go deep into assuming who he really is and what he wants to do with his existence.

Author

Human beings can act as the author of their actions. Here, the person acts freely and is capable of establishing goals and ideals beyond what has been given to them. Creativity, character, the desire for achievement and personal mastery come into play. The person feels fulfilled because the decision was theirs and was not conditioned by circumstances or their interpretation of reality.

The author makes plans, makes commitments. He throws out a rope and holds on to it until he reaches his goal.