Do you think you have free will?
If you do, then why are you eating that cookie when you know you shouldn't? Why are you staying in an unhappy marriage, enduring a boring job, tolerating a toxic friendship? Why do you continue to scream at your children in spite of promising yourself that you will stop?
Unlike most philosophers and theologians, the question for me cannot be reduced to the duality of "yes, we can choose freely," or "no, everything is predetermined." As a psychotherapist, I have discovered that it's a matter of degrees. Your capacity for free will depends on how aware you are at any given moment.
In order to act with free will you need to first be aware of all options that are available to you, then choose consciously from those options. But most of our day-to-day reactions are exactly that -- reactions. If we feel angry, we yell or withdraw; when we feel hungry, we reach for food; when we feel lazy, we plotz in front of the TV or computer.
Does this mean we don't have free will?
Let's examine what happens when you are in conflict with your spouse or lover. If you are like most people, you will immediately feel threatened and react in a way that you typically handle conflict. You may scream, sulk angrily, or you might simply try to appease and smooth things over. Any of these reactions will probably not serve you. After you calm down you may wish you handled it differently.
Had you been able to stop your knee jerk reaction, examine other possible behaviors, evaluate the consequences of each, you may have still chosen to respond angrily but it would be after consideration. You might have chosen an empathetic response by seeing things from your partner's perspective, or a practical response by giving in because the issue is not that important to you.
You can apply this to any situation in your life and ask yourself, "Am I choosing my response freely right now or am I reacting automatically?" Do you really want to eat that cookie or listen to your friend's negativity?
We generally live with a sense that we know what we are doing and think we understand why. For most people, this is a false belief, stemming from our illusions.
Why are we so unaware?
The answer lies in the early habits that were ingrained in our brains and became part of our automated behaviors before we had any say in the matter. These behaviors are now second nature to us, and repeatedly surface in various situations without our consciously choosing them.
If you want to develop free will, your first step is to recognize and accept how often you operate with little or no awareness. Then you need to choose whether you want to do something about it. If you do, then you need to know what you are up against: deeply ingrained habits of reactivity that will not be easy to catch and change. Once you choose to take on this challenge, you need to follow these steps:
You can have free will if you know what it takes to achieve it and are committed to working towards it with compassion and patience.
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I only have a thumb and little finger to type with today--and since the pain of my body is so overwhelming I cannot get up and move around freely--the idea of free will strikes me as silly
A lot of the great spiritual teachers Teresia of Avila, St John of the cross. some stories of Buddha say that they were in awful physical pain--the only had the life of the mind and spirit--I don't see much free will there--thinking is about all I can do so the "I can be anything I want" sounds like bs to me
A lot of times the naivete of people who have not done anything yet--not given themselves over to a great love, risked all for an important principle,walked away from big money--just doing the yoga being 'self' small self--indulgent--what happens when you find yourself alone with that self--then all the free will falls away--a premature burial is no fun, but might be better than the alternative--me--I am just waiting for my healthcare to run out so I can find out. lol
There either is or there isn't,free will (FW).
And there isn't.
Yet, this article assumes FW exists without ever makes a case for it; the reader is supposed to take it as a given; it tries to have it both ways.
My real issue with it's message is that it sets up patients to blame themselves for the failure of their flawed therapies. This can inadvertently encourage a sense of despair about ever being able to change. Ironically, nothing is more fatalistic than a FW-based world view because all undesireable outcomes can ultimately be blamed on the victim for his/her "choices" instead of on the circumstances themselves. This is important because one cannot, by definition, change FW; one can only change the circumstances that affect behavior.
At any one time, many potential behaviors exist in a roiling stew, largely beneath the surface of our consciousness; in a sense, they compete with one another to be acted out. When one does gets the edge, because some NON FW-based factor has just changed, it becomes manifested. For example, if you pay a trainer to help you stay on a diet it may work; but if you leave it up to FW, it fails. Consequences are inescapable, and necessary for shaping behavior, but placing blame for what led to those consequences on the victim is brutally damaging to individuals and society.
At most free will is...limited.
There is cause and effect in Nature and for the sake of perspective and expectation there is FATE.
But before you get to Intellectual Leave my INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS which are free choice and Will of MAN not science and not GOD
People and Governments have been making Free Choice (free will) since the beginning of formal society.
Equal and Fair or Justice is not Injustice. Free Choice determines which a society takes at a particular time and over time.
Individual Rights are determined by Man and Man's laws. These are well established in the beginning of OUR COUNTRY and Government.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Expectations do need to be managed on a personal and life perspective for health and general welfare
As a project manager these variables can be managed to controlled within a defined scope in real world perspectives. Scope is the key to success. Budget cuts, resources, corporate acquisitions are outside of the perspective and out of control of the project
Life experience teaches us that many time the best plans and actions have no other explanation than fate of the situation itself. Something beyond cause and effect.
I generally say to people pondering or dealing with Life Change. You do not control the stage of your life, you control the role you play on the stage.
Materialists and various religions deny its existence, but that doesn't change the fact that it exists and is available to sentient beings.
Living a determined life is therefore a sin, speaking religiously. It speaks to sloth.
Close your eyes, breath from your diaphragm and get settled into your being. Now take these steps:
1. Observe your knee, your shoulder or your feet.
2. Observe your emotions
3. Observe your thoughts
Only observe, witness these. Then ask yourself who is doing the observing. A thing cannot observe itself..
This is the part of you that is the I without emotions or thoughts. Obviously, there is much more to this, but it is the best I can do right now. If you want more, contact me @ ronit@roniÂtherzfeld.Âcom
"Who am I?" the pre-eminent question posed by my favorite sage Ramana Maharshi. You may be interested in Steven Norquist's explanation of enlightenment or his book "Haunted Universe". david carse' book "Perfect Brilliant Stillness" is also a great read from one who lives out of/as non-duality.
The method is to watch the breath, much as you describe Contemplation of body, emotions and thoughts. Except here you are practicing Pranayama (breath control) and emptying the mind (thought control) by observing the breath.
As you practice this exercise like all exercises it get better with practice. Initially, you might fall asleep. Your mind might wonder (contemplation, worry, etc). In time you have not other thoughts but one. Observing the breath, when the breath need to come for physiological needs and not Thoughts or States of Mind
The most fundamental and basic four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow called "deficiency needs" or "d-needs": esteem , friendship and love, security, and physical needs. With the exception of the most fundamental (physiological) needs, if these "deficiency needs" are not met, the body gives no physical indication but the individual feels anxious and tense. Maslow's theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs. Maslow also coined the term Metamotivation to describe the motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterments
Needs in order of Necessity and Rank (Physiological (survival), Safety (secure), Love and Belonging (family, friends, society), Esteem (self confidence), Self Actualization (Self Fulfillment), Self Transcendence (Self Realization )
Your psychological self is the result and motivation of the needs with the basic needs (first 2) being met first and the rest are the basic psychological or greater self fulfillment needs.
I have followed the Self Realization of SRF for 40 years. It teaches to transcend the body of the little self ego of the body waking state consciousness to the Cosmic Consciousness or GOD as I call it. It uses practical exercises that control breath and mind which are observable experiences that produce great joy, bliss and visual color. Beyond any physical material experience including the most exotic drug. The difference you are in control and evolve to greater consciousness without body.
If my teeth hurt from not brushing them I cannot brush them and get GOOD TEETH.
I do agree that much of our character and tendencies exist at birth. I would even go as far as saying because of Karma and past life actions
But Man can change his behavior and thus change his actions. A C student can become an A student, buy studying and becoming for effective at learning or improved reading ability. A poor basket ball player can become a better basket ball player. True there may be limits to height, jumping ability and physical make up. But most things can be changed by changing behavior and action.
Yoga is a practice of changing behavior and action. But are the first to say it takes 8 years to remove a behavior. Man can changes. Now moving mountains that is another story, but has a lot more to do by the time those abilities come, you are aware there is another reason than yours for the mountain to be there
Essentially, why do we have free will? Because the future isn't written and there's nothing stopping you from realizing any number of futures. Since the future isn't written and there's nothing stopping you from realizing a particular one, you are responsible for the one you realize. What is free will if not that?
Just depends on how you look at it.
Here's a more articulate version of what I meant in the first line.
"Looking at all the potential futures that could exist from where I sit today, as nothing is stopping me from realizing any particular future and I will be responsiblÂe for which path I choose, aren't the conditions of free will met?"
G'night!
I was getting concerned we were headed toward Predetermined Fate. Like live under the Yoke it is your destiny. My children are smarter and will work in peace corp while yours go off to war. Or if you are are farmer you get to start on the team because you are a farmers son. Speed, Quickness, Ability and Effort are simply niceties of life.
I've found that my free will is directly related to how much unconscious fear I have in that part of my life. In areas where I have a lot of fear, my responses are more prone to being automatic.
I also think fear (emotion) can interFEAR in you make a different and better decision