I've been wondering it a this free will thing a lot lately, for a long time, lately. Like I was reading all these books and everything went back to this one sticking point that's been rattling around in my old tired head. One of the books was a Palahniuk book, maybe it was Invisible Monsters and if you haven't read it and you've a yearning to you might stop reading now because I guess I've got to spoil it to make my point but there are a couple of characters in there who go to extreme lengths, I mean extreme lengths, to act contrary to how they've been conditioned, to act with free will. By acting so extreme they hoped to act with free will as opposed to how they' been conditioned, but that didn't do it for me, because if it's all about conditioning no matter how extreme their actions they would've been free to act no other way.
Look, what makes us do what we do? What makes us think what we think? I've not got any kind of college degree or anything but I know enough to know that it boils down to this whole nature versus nurture argument. Whether you take one side or any point between the two extremes I don't see how you can get around the fact that if I were born in your body in your set of circumstances I would have made every single choice you've made in your life, would've thought every thought you thought, would be reading this now through your eyes with whatever judgements or thoughts or insights you have.
It's like we walk around thinking we're thinking our own thoughts, trying logically or emotionally to get through the day and make certain choices, and it SEEMS like we have free will, but everything is predetermined according to our genetic makeup and the circumstances into which we were born. Even our past and the choices we made in our past can be contributed to those two factors. Not somewhat. Completely.
So I read a book, Man's Search for Meaning, written by a survivor of the concentration camps of the Holocaust, Victor Frankl, and in it he said something like 'Those of us who were in the camps all remember the men who walked through the barracks looking for the sickest man to give their last crust of bread. They were few and far between, but numerous enough to remind us that, no matter how bad the circumstances, no one can take from you one thing: the right to free will, to choose what you will do in a moment,' or something, he said it much more beautifully and succinctly.
But is it true? Could those men have chosen any differently, given their past and genetic makeup? Given both nature AND nurture?
It's like we're in a movie, and just like in a movie you watch on the screen where the characters seem to have dilemmas and choices but no matter how many times you play the reel the film doesn't change... maybe we're just like that.
So I sat with this thought for a long time, days, weeks. And here's the problem with it: if you live by it you don't do anything. I didn't, at least.
Finally though, I found a way to live with it: truth or not, I had to take responsibility for my choices and actions anyway, despite the logic in which I can find no flaw, and which no one has shown me fault.
And so I pretend I have free will. But there's two other aspects that became clear:
If it's true, that none of us have free will, that we're all a product of our nature and our nurture, then it makes forgiveness that much easier. After all, if every single person out there is doing the absolute best they can, if they really can do no other, given their nature and nurturing, then they are not free. And if they're not free, how can you help but feel compassion for each and every one of them, just as you would an animal in a cage?
And if it's true that none of us have free will, that we're all doing the best we can but that we really have no choice at all, well then, If there is a God, an intelligent life force running in and throughout everything, well then, this great big mess of a world with all its problems are all part of The Plan, and everything's SUPPOSED TO be just the way it is... and everything is gonna turn out fine.
Look, what makes us do what we do? What makes us think what we think? I've not got any kind of college degree or anything but I know enough to know that it boils down to this whole nature versus nurture argument. Whether you take one side or any point between the two extremes I don't see how you can get around the fact that if I were born in your body in your set of circumstances I would have made every single choice you've made in your life, would've thought every thought you thought, would be reading this now through your eyes with whatever judgements or thoughts or insights you have.
It's like we walk around thinking we're thinking our own thoughts, trying logically or emotionally to get through the day and make certain choices, and it SEEMS like we have free will, but everything is predetermined according to our genetic makeup and the circumstances into which we were born. Even our past and the choices we made in our past can be contributed to those two factors. Not somewhat. Completely.
So I read a book, Man's Search for Meaning, written by a survivor of the concentration camps of the Holocaust, Victor Frankl, and in it he said something like 'Those of us who were in the camps all remember the men who walked through the barracks looking for the sickest man to give their last crust of bread. They were few and far between, but numerous enough to remind us that, no matter how bad the circumstances, no one can take from you one thing: the right to free will, to choose what you will do in a moment,' or something, he said it much more beautifully and succinctly.
But is it true? Could those men have chosen any differently, given their past and genetic makeup? Given both nature AND nurture?
It's like we're in a movie, and just like in a movie you watch on the screen where the characters seem to have dilemmas and choices but no matter how many times you play the reel the film doesn't change... maybe we're just like that.
So I sat with this thought for a long time, days, weeks. And here's the problem with it: if you live by it you don't do anything. I didn't, at least.
Finally though, I found a way to live with it: truth or not, I had to take responsibility for my choices and actions anyway, despite the logic in which I can find no flaw, and which no one has shown me fault.
And so I pretend I have free will. But there's two other aspects that became clear:
If it's true, that none of us have free will, that we're all a product of our nature and our nurture, then it makes forgiveness that much easier. After all, if every single person out there is doing the absolute best they can, if they really can do no other, given their nature and nurturing, then they are not free. And if they're not free, how can you help but feel compassion for each and every one of them, just as you would an animal in a cage?
And if it's true that none of us have free will, that we're all doing the best we can but that we really have no choice at all, well then, If there is a God, an intelligent life force running in and throughout everything, well then, this great big mess of a world with all its problems are all part of The Plan, and everything's SUPPOSED TO be just the way it is... and everything is gonna turn out fine.
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*hugs*
I'm back. thank you so much for the concerned and very sweet post in my journal. I can't tell you what it means to me...
Hope you haev a beautiful day!