On Free Will

I remember a discussion when I was still a graduate student at Brown University on free will. I argued passionately against the idea that our journey is already entirely pre-programmed when we are born, but in the end I understood that very much like religion, this theory is a tautology. There is nothing to discuss, point. The discussion also came before I was aware of brain studies that show that the realization that we have made a decision comes before we are consciously aware of it. If not our consciousness, who then makes the decision for us?

Now even if true and we live a pre-programmed life, don't just rush to the next liquor store and drink your brains out. Why don't you view instead everything I say in this essay as pre-destined to help you understand where you are in your spiritual journey. There is hard work involved to write the story you are pre-destined to live. So this little essay might just be one of the pointers that influences your path. That is, for those who have seen the movie "The Matrix", I might be a mere computer simulation, but I am still the one who offers you the choice between the blue and red pill, allowing you to break free.

Are there people who are more subconsciously driven than me? Sure! Not because I am somehow a better person, but simply because I am further along in my spiritual journey than they are. I am no longer quite as driven by single life dimensions such as power, money or success. Whenever you follow the carrot dangling in front of you, subconscious forces jerk you around. And you can't just say no to them, you have to get those drives out of your system. You have to live your life as is.

But then, are there people who more enlightened than me, that is, have more degrees of freedom to react to life's complexities in a creative and truly loving fashion? Sure! No matter how far along the WAY we might have traveled, there always will be a sister who lifts us up, just as much as we can return the favor to the fellow coming after us.

Think probabilities; think choices to life complexities. Every time you let go of some old pre-programmed habits the cards in the universe get shuffled again. Every time you make an unexpected step, a new dimension of your opportunity set gets revealed. In the end you may just write the story you were pre-destined to write. That's ok too. Your soul will have matured a bit more in the process. Free will or not, the pen is in your hand. Start writing!