Why do people lose the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority?

Because life is easy. If they follow the patterns given to them by those above them on the socio-economic hierarchy, it generally works out. This makes people lazy and unquestioning. Complacent.

Hard men create easy times. Easy times creates weak men. Weak men create hard times. Hard times creates hard men.

It's a generational cycle, it never ends, since mankind has existed. How can we break it? Information and wisdom, experience and awareness. But these values aren't passed down when weak men preside, when times are easy. The cycle is as real as physics itself, our only option is to surf that wave, and try to mitigate it the best we can. Thankfully we have the internet this generational go-around.

RIP Carl Sagan