Do we have free will or is life already predetermined? I was recently listening to a podcast by Neil deGrasse Tyson on StarTalk with an astrophysicist where they were debating on whether human beings have free will. With a lot of back and forth they never really answered the question but to an extent insinuated that there is an absence of free will because the actions of human beings are pegged on already predetermined and set guidelines in the environment they are living in.
I also tend to agree that as much as we human beings try to say that we are free to do whatever we want at anytime we want; there are somethings that will naturally prevent us from doing that. For instance, as much as I would have wanted to take blunt and smoke in class; I cannot because of my classmates, teachers and just the fact that it is rude and arrogant to do something that offends other people. However, think of it this way; what if I was the principle or the son of a very rich man, or my father owned the school, or a better example is what if I was a dangerous gangster that people were afraid of; (El Chapo, Pablo Escoba) etc. With such a high societal position and power; I do not think that anyone would dare ask why I was smoking just for the sake of saving the head on their neck. From this line of thought the only thing that could have stopped me from smoking was my own personal conviction; my own mercy and consideration for others. Therefore, I can put on my case that free will is present but limited; limited by the environment but if someone outdoes the environment then he or she also outdoes the absence of free will.
Back to the question of whether the future is predetermined or not. From a religious point of view it’s safe to say that Lord has already determined what I will be doing ten years from now, the wife I will marry and the children I will get. In the podcast, Neil and his acquaintances discuss and state an interesting allusion; what would you do if an alien approached you and told you that your life is already predetermined. Would you change your ways or you would live on to get to the events already set for you. In this case freewill is absent because no matter what you do you will still end up in the already determined position. This aspect therefore brings another question; does this mean that God exist and he runs affairs? I believe for non-believers you get another chance to reevaluate your thinking.
However, coming back to science; the future is undetermined and but determined by the small freewills we have. We have no free will for what happens ten years from now but we have free will for what happens now. We have free will for what happens in the short term but not for the long term. Our actions in the short term determine the long-term eventualities. The small freewills we have eventually compound to become a direction that guides our lives to a certain area.
We therefore cannot decide our future but can create our future. Does that make sense; maybe not. The small things we do everyday; will determine our future. Therefore, dear readers as you go about every day; just remember that that is your free will and eventually the freewills will compound to a direction and you better make that direction right!!
Yours Collins
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