Freewill And Determinism

Because the meaning of language is subjective, words can fail to give an all encompassing universal meaning that is equally understood and accepted by each unique individual. This is especially true when dealing with the metaphysical, with the entirely real but physically intangible, with things that sit out side of space time, with the deepest of ideas. And in recognition of this flaw inherent in language. I must make this disclaimer: Some of the words I use to label or describe these things are simply pragmatic. They are the handles I put on the intangible so that I can get ahold of them long enough to explore them.

Please feel free to interchange the words that fit for you. If need be, Use your own handles to grab these deepest of ideas. In one circumstance I may say "true self" and in another I may say "God" and in another "divinity" or "true nature" and though I use different words for different occasions they are all one in the same and part of the whole. How do you pin down and define the eternal and the infinite? Imperfectly, that's how. With that being said and without further adieu:

FREEWILL is not a Given.

Freewill: A voluntary choice or decision.

Determinism: A doctrine, that acts of the will, natural events, or social changes are determined by preceding events or natural causes.

Because most of us are familiar with freewill, I'll start with determinism. A growing doctrine supported by many scientists, materialists, and intellectuals. Determinism challenges the stronghold of the long accepted idea of freewill. Determinism states that freewill is an illusion. That every "choice" you make is, in reality, just the natural and inevitable result of your previous experiences and make-up. It states that your choice of what to order for lunch, or whether or not to run a red light, only feels like a choice made of your own volition. Determinism argues that if an experiment could be created that exactly replicated every one of your previous experiences, in exactly the same order, you would always make the same "choice" to have pizza for lunch or to run the red light.

Freewill, on the other hand is much easier to explain. It states: That we as conscious beings have an innate and voluntary choice in the decisions and circumstances that face us. Freewill leaves the universe open and possibilities loose. Though on the same day that you choose pizza, freewill allows the possibility that you could have just as easily chosen to have a plate of green eggs and ham and rather than run the red light you could have decided to do doughnuts in the intersection.

For reasons that should be obvious freewill offers a soft comfortable place to rest our heads. An idea that places us at the controls of our existence. Determinism isn't such a pleasant reality to lay your head on. Its hard, cold, and sterile. No room for humanities highest attributes.

Like most things in life the reality lies not exclusively in either extreme but in a commingling mixture of the two.

Does freewill exist? Yes.

Does determinism also exist? Yes.

But neither exists in an absolute and all encompassing form. One doesn't negate the other.

Though freewill exists, it is not guaranteed. It is given to us but in a partially dormant state. We posses the potentiality of freewill. We are equipped with the tools to be free, to consciously choose. But the responsibility lies with us to develop the ability and skills to properly use them.

For most people the decisions they make, decisions that they assume are rooted in a truly freewill, is just an illusion. A comforting story that they tell themselves and choose to believe. Asleep at the wheel, far too many of the choices we make aren't made by us at all. They are dictated by our past experiences, our fears, and desires. These motivators are all received in the brain and acted upon as impulses. 

This determinism plays out in cyclical behavior patterns all around us. The sexually abused kid who grows up with the uncontrollable impulse to repeat the abuse that was done to him. 

Determinism is the antithesis to conscious thought. It is reactionary and unchecked by self-awareness. As with the kid who grew up poor and is now willing to kill someone for fifty dollars. Here's the tricky part Even when we are in a reactionary deterministic state we are still technically awake, so our brain is active which gives us the feeling, the illusion, that we are conscious and freely making our decisions, even when we're not. 

Brain activity, the processing of stimuli, and simple thinking, don't equal a truly free will. Self awareness, insight, and an understanding of motivating factors and the way in which your mind works are the tools required for utilizing your freewill.

In our everyday state its rarely all or nothing. Most of us have moments of both deterministic behavior as well as true freewill. The full capability of a free will isn't equally active in all. Neither is a fully deterministic life.Though our natural state of limited self-awareness leans heavily in the direction of determinism. The degrees of ones position between the two extremes varies from person to person.

Your ability to truly exercise your free will is directly proportional to your level of self awareness and mindfulness. To obtain a consistent and meaningful use of your freewill you must adopt a disciplined, fearless, and dedicated practice of self examination. Freewill isn't free. It isn't a given. It is a skill that requires cultivation.

Impulse is both the enemy of freewill and the vehicle of determinism. When I was in the throws of my addiction, my decisions or choices were nothing more than an open door that impulse was free to walk through, unimpeded. Sure I constructed stories and inner-monologues to convince myself that I was the one in control. I believed that I was consciously making these decisions. But it was nothing more than a story I told myself. And behind it all was the Ego. If impulse is the vehicle of determinism then Ego is the motor that drives it all.

We all have deterministic weak points from which our freewill escapes us. My most glaring weakness was centered around substance abuse. Most peoples primary weak points, are some form of addiction. Addiction to sex, money, food, gambling, or adrenaline. You may instantly know where your weak point is or you may have to do some honest self searching to find out what it is that saps your self control. In any sense, this is a knowledge about yourself that you must come to if you wish to be awakened from deterministic slumber. 

These things are layered. The largest outer layer, like that of an onion, will be the easiest to recognize. But with every layer you successfully peal away, another more subtle layer will be waiting, until full self-awareness is reached and you go from utilizing freewill to becoming freewill. Though with every success along the way you will be rewarded with new insight, knowledge, strength, and the desire to continue progressing.

So how do we know when we are acting in a deterministic way or when we are using our conscious freewill? This is a tough question so forgive me for the vague nature of my answer: "you just will". To be a little more comprehensive I'd say: By increasing your self-awareness and honing the skills of honesty and truth you will become in-tuned with yourself to such a degree that the answer “You just will” will make sense.

To come, I will help to show you the path to opening up your communication with your True self. To become more attuned to this aspect of your true nature and to be able to listen to that voice. This will help you reach the point where "you will just know".

Before we move forward a more fundamental and important question needs answering. The first question of freewill, from which the spring of all future freewill flows, is this: Do you wish to be freed from the shackles of determinism and impulse, to utilize your right, responsibility, and duty of an actualized freewill, so that you may rise from the slumber of determinism and move consciously through life?

You may balk at this question and ask yourself: If Im not currently accessing my freewill how could my answer be anything but a determinist response? Have no fear. If you have questioned this apparent paradox then, in your critical thinking and doubt, you have cracked the code and taken the first step towards utilizing your freewill. Self examination, contemplation, and critical thinking. These are the keys to freewill. And if you haven't questioned this apparent paradox, it doesn't matter. How you get to the well doesn't affect the well's ability to quench your thirst.

However, before coming to an answer, let me make a suggestion: sit down in meditation and contemplate the many dimensions and aspects of the question, of yourself, and of the meaning and consequences of the choice you will make. Honestly ask yourself: are you actually ready to abandon excuses and the ability to coast, to drop the built in defense of ignorance and the comfort of slumber, to move towards a conscious life of freewill?  

There are many different types of meditation. I won't go into a comprehensive list of meditative practices here. That information is already out there, ready to be soaked up, and I suggest you look into it. I will give you this basic advice: Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. Come into the space with honesty and humility. Sit down and mentally state your intentions. Breathe steady measured breaths through your nose. Focus on your breath. Listen to yourself with love and compassion until your answer is revealed to you. Ask not for what you want but what you need.

With enough honest and vulnerable contemplation you will know when you have your answer. If you decide: No, I'm fine with the comforting illusion of freewill and a mostly deterministic existence. Then I wholeheartedly wish you the best and my heart aches for you. But I want you to know that these words and your potential will always be right here waiting for your return.

If your answer is yes, then my heart aches for you as well. For there is much work to be done.

Before deciding how, when, and where to utilize your freewill you must first uncover your purpose for a free will. To what end should your will be freed? To what destination are your guiding yourself? For without the answer to this question freewill is irrelevant. Freewill without direction is just another term for impulse fulfillment. Which we already know is movement in the direction of determinism.

Obviously I can't give you your purpose or goal. That is up to you and only you, to uncover. For any external purpose derived from another would not be worthy of your efforts and would eventually crumble under the weight of your accomplishments.

I will say this: certain levels of freewill can be gained with a variety of goals in mind; money, success, revenge, adoration, fame, power, unity, love, compassion, enlightenment and so on.

However, be very careful what you choose to place on the alter of freewill. For if it is a self-serving idol that you toil for you will be limited in the meaningful growth you can attain. 

The importance of choosing your purpose or goal with pure intention cannot be overstated and anything less than the loftiest goal is to miss the point. The highest form, the purest object to set your mind on, to place on your alter, is rooted in selfless love. With your intentions fixed on the loftiest of goals the heights attainable are unrivaled. When your intentions are refined and pure the universe will unfold to meet you.

To find your true purpose, the goal will direct your freewill towards, you must go inward and return to the well of meditation. For the truest form of freewill is not the choices of the external but of the internal.

Once your goal is revealed the next step is to prioritize. Where do you start? What choices are worth your efforts? Initially, how many sugars to have with your coffee should take a back seat to should I punch this guy in the face for bumping into me?

As you begin developing your self-awareness and mindfulness you should use your limited abilities only in the decisions important to reaching your goal.

At a certain point the extension of your freewill will merge with your meditative practice. The two will become so interdependent that to speak about one will be to reference the other. Everything covered in this book (and in life) is dependent on a consistent meditative practice. Any question you have, any uncertainty that arises, any doubt conjured, can and will be resolved through meditation. A disciplined approach must be taken up in the quest, to first: understand yourself and your mind. And finally: to master yourself and your mind. There is no way more effective or important to this monumental task than a serious meditative practice.

Meditation produces countless benefits. One of the earliest and most all encompassing aspects is the re-calibration of your inner dialogues. With enough practice and patience in meditation you will begin to turn down the volume on the cunning and deceptive ego voice. The voice pushing you towards impulse satisfaction and superficial pleasures. As the volume dims you will begin to perceive, ever so slightly, the voice of your true self. This voice is known by many names: God, your conscience, the Universe....your true voice. A voice that resides is us all.

The more progress you make in your meditative practice the easier it will become to tell the difference between the ego and your true voice.

This may be able to help to differentiate in the beginning stages: The Ego is based in the mind and speaks through justifications and subtle manipulations. It uses language and inner-monologue. It whispers in your ear like a devil on your shoulder. Its greatest trick is disguising itself as your own voice.

Your True voice, the one that has remained unchanged in tone and message over time. The same voice that guided you as a child, never wavering, into adulthood. A voice you can try to ignore but do so at your own peril. A voice you can try to muzzle but never successfully. A voice you can never lie too and never entirely silence. This voice comes from the pit of your chest and uses feeling, not words, to communicate with you. So many of us have spent years drowning out our True voice. And all the time the Ego voice grew louder and louder eventually learning to mimic your True voice in such a cunning way that it became nearly impossible to tell the difference. It will take time to re-tune yourself to this eternal voice. A voice that is timeless. The all knowing and loving voice that we have spent so much time rendering dormant.

With honest and humble intent you will again become fluent in deciphering that wordless communication that comes from the deepest well of your heart. It will never steer you wrong and the truest form of sin is to ignore its message.

Tune in and let your unfiltered nature guide you. Once you do this the pieces will begin to fall into place and this is how you will ultimately know which direction to exercise your will towards.

As with anything, the more work you put into the endeavor of becoming a conscious actor in the decisions that face you, the more control you will have at your disposal and the more clearly you will see both the choices, as well as the consequences of your decisions.

Eventually, with enough effort, even the seemingly unimportant decisions and circumstances will reveal themselves in their full context. As you purify your mind and exercise your freewill towards the achievement of your purpose you will begin to see the relation in every aspect of your life to the goal of your will. You will have moved from the life of a rudderless boat, aimlessly drifting and tossed about by the waves of impulse, to the life of an unsinkable ship with a determined and skilled captain on a charted course.

Freewill awaits you... but it’s not a given.