Blog #49--Do We Really Have Free Will?

There is one thing upon which most everyone on Earth agrees: humans have free will. We are free to do as we want, unlike all other species. We pride ourselves on our freedom and are willing to defend it to death. Unfortunately, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that free will is a misnomer. Of course, we have little interest in questioning the concept of free will, likely out of fear we don’t really have it. Let’s examine the realities of our existence on Earth.

A friend and I were talking recently, and he bragged about how humans have free will. I told him my doubts, and he demanded I offer proof that we do not have free will. I simply responded, “We all die.” No matter what we think we are doing while alive, our bottom line is the fact we cannot overcome the reality of our deaths. We certainly don’t have free will to go against the laws of Nature.

When we examine our lives closely, we begin to notice a number of barriers to free will. For instance, few if any of us want to be sick or injured, but we all have down periods where we cannot function normally. These setbacks prevent free will. We are eager to claim we have free will when attaining a goal, but we ignore those instances where our best efforts fail.

There are plenty of times in each of our lives when we are unable to produce results we desire. Both on an individual and group basis, we tend to fail as often as we succeed. The fact that all civilizations ultimately fail is ignored under the assumption our present one is an exception. It is the same lie that tells us we will never die. When we examine the up-and-down cycles of life, we cannot help but notice how we must have the bad with the good.

We think we have control over our individual actions when times are easy and rewards are great. But we all experience days when things go wrong. To me, this means we do not have the control we think we have. We say we can do what we want, but we are often in competition with others who want the same thing. For instance, a college sports team’s fans expect success on the athletic field. But they are playing against teams whose fans have the same expectations. Someone’s going to lose.

I referred to some neuroscience research in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life.” Researchers discovered we are unaware of a new thought for 1.5 seconds after brain activity begins. Something other than conscious control is at work. Socio-biologists like E. O. Wilson say our genes are our actual control mechanism. Others say it is part of a continuing chain reaction that began with conception. Regardless, concepts such as free will pale when evaluated in this light.

Astrologers can be amazingly accurate about predicting our futures if they have enough information about us at their disposal. But to a person, every astrologer I’ve met wishes to believe we control some aspects of our lives. They are unable to find any such references in their astrological charts, but they have the same human desire for free will as everyone else. Are they correct that only some things are beyond our control, or are they suffering from wishful thinking like the rest of us?

In my opinion, if anything about our lives is predictable, then perhaps everything is predictable. Indeed, those who study astrology all their lives and spend enough time on an individual’s chart can predict even the most mundane aspects of a person’s life. That wouldn’t be possible if everyone had free will. Prophets like Nostradamus have demonstrated an ability to see accurately into the future, again demonstrating a predictability that counters our concept of freedom.

Theoretically, our minds are free to explore other dimensions through inspiration, dreams and astral projection. However, our egos work to prevent us from escaping our bodies until the moment we die. We get glimpses of that freedom during our lives, some more than others, but making it happen is doubtful at best.

Most if not all of the best things that have happened to me in this life have been despite my free will, not because of it. I wouldn’t have been inspired to write two books, marry my true partner or start a bookstore that still exists 29 years later if I had free will to choose my path. Fortunately, I was nudged into these things by a force greater than myself, and I am truly grateful for it.

If we observe our lives honestly as we proceed through them, we find limits to free will. We learn what we cannot do, but fear not. We are guided along our path by a force that has our best interests at heart, whether we recognize it or not. Our most significant hopes and dreams are actually predictions of our future and will likely come true eventually.

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