Passive vs. Active Philosophy

Speaking broadly, there are two ways to think about life: passively or actively. Passive philosophy amounts to letting things happen, whereas active is about making things happen.

I generally try to stay active. If I want something to happen, I need to make it happen. Sitting around waiting for something to happen or for someone to come along and tell you what to do is passive.

You can find plenty of examples of this in life, and you may also notice that people who achieve their vision of success tend to be active. Think of entrepreneurs like who built great something from a simple idea into a billion-dollar company, or community organizers who transform neighborhoods by rallying residents around common goals. The belief that the world owes you something and you shouldn’t have to take an active role in making things happen harms you and you alone. Actively working to pursue your goals is the only reliable way to get through life.

Some people can get far in life passively, and–anecdotally speaking–they tend to be people with relatively strong support networks. It could be that their parents are very involved in their lives, or they have some other strong influences, such as a spouse, close friend, or mentor. These people would be remarkably successful if they just took a more active role in their lives (provided they wanted to).

I’ve contributed to many open-source software projects over the years and have created a number myself. I’ve been asked by people before how they can “get into open-source,” and to me, this question reveals a passive mindset: the only thing holding you back is you. The cool thing about software is that it’s soft, and the only limit to what you can do is your time and energy. There are no open-source police out there; you can publish as much or as little code as you want. There are infinite resources on the Internet and elsewhere to learn about writing software.

It can be easy to fall into the passive trap. It’s easy to be passive; being active is hard. Being active is scary; it means that if you fail, you can only blame yourself. You become fully responsible for your actions, and you have to bail yourself out when things go wrong.

To be fair, there are moments when a more passive approach might be appropriate—when learning from others, collaborating on a team, or dealing with situations truly beyond our control. But even in these scenarios, actively choosing when to follow rather than lead is different from defaulting to passivity.

To me it has felt for a long time like there’s been an uptick in the general infantilization of everything, but it may just be that I’m growing older. You see this often in the various media we’re exposed to, especially advertising, and the way politicians and anyone in positions of power speak down to people like they’re idiots. A lot of the modern-day political backlash seems to be a response to this kind of infantilization and condescending patronizing.

Passivity is choosing to be infantilized, or in other words, it’s choosing to let someone else make your decisions. Being active is harder, but the result will almost always be better.

The transition from passive to active philosophy isn’t always easy. It requires acknowledging that no one is coming to save you, and that your life’s trajectory is primarily your responsibility. It means facing fears, accepting potential failure, and developing resilience when things don’t work out. But this transition is also profoundly liberating.

When you embrace an active philosophy, you begin to see opportunities where others see obstacles. You recognize that most barriers are self-imposed or at least negotiable. You stop waiting for permission to pursue your goals or for perfect conditions before taking action.

This mindset shift affects everything: how you approach your career, your relationships, your health, and your creative pursuits. Rather than complaining about what’s wrong with the world, you ask yourself, “What can I do about this?” Rather than waiting to be chosen, you choose yourself.

The beautiful paradox is that by taking full responsibility for your life—something that might initially seem burdensome—you actually gain freedom. The freedom to direct your own path, to create meaningful work, to build genuine connections, and to experience the deep satisfaction that comes from knowing you’re the author of your own story.

So ask yourself: Are you passively watching your life unfold, or actively shaping it? The choice, as it always has been, is yours.