The citizens of Rome put the good of the republic ahead of their own desires and the Founding Fathers hoped American people would do the same. Severing in public office without financial gain was important in the success of the country.
This depends for example on where the individuals live and for example in many countries of Western Europe people might be relatively well informaed of their rights
But generally I believe people are not too empowered because:
1) they don't challenge unfavorable work contracts
2) they don't take sick leave even if they can
3) they don't challenge their supervisors out of fear of loosing a job
4) they rarely seek justice in court
5) they might not be aware of their right to sick leave for example
