Freewill

Freewill. Yes, I know that we all agree to a great length on what it means and even would vouch tooth and nail to defend it. But here, I would like to offer something that’s going to piss a lot of so called proponents of this thing we call freewill.

Let’s set the record right first. I believe freewill to be the single most significant inherent right of each individual, that’s God-given and one that should not and cannot be alienated from every individual. This is the absolute freedom to make choices and be wholly accountable for one’s own actions.

Having said this, I find it a great contradiction in terms when the very people that champion its rights seek to destroy the very fabric that makes up freewill.

I’m talking about the suppression of freewill through ways and means that may not seem as visually dramatic or straightforward as say the imprisonment and torture of opposition by some military junta in some ruthless despot-ruled nation.

What I’m talking about is the “need” by some to lord over the lives of others either through the umbrella of religion, philosophy or morality or even emotionally.

How many times over and again do we hear of how threats, both veiled and otherwise are used from the pulpit to “safeguard the morality of the people” where hailstorms and the brimstones of hell await those that do not adhere? Emotionally-wise, how many times have we come across emotional blackmail, both that are “morally right” and that which is done at the namesake of maintaining family unity.

Bringing this onto a ground level perspective – parents that harbour and place life-long responsibility toward children to be filial to them as their parents had done to them before, husbands and wives that place tremendous emotional conditions for each other to conform as how society sees marriage and family and friends to each other to collapse on as emotional crutches. In all cases, there is always a catch, a leash to tie another person down to be subservient to us.

How we’d like to term it, whenever we seek to control another person’s freewill, whether intentionally or otherwise, whether outwardly or inwardly, whether harshly or softly… we have taken to playing God over another… something of pure travesty since God himself even refused to do that since it is the most precious of all gifts given to each and every individual. This is the gift that separates humans from all other living beings.

And therefore, no measure of so called “morality” and “for the goodness of”, whether disguised or otherwise makes it right to seek such conformity, such subservience… neither religion, philosophy, morality or emotions, collectively or as individuals.

Now, do we all really understand freewill? Perhaps not as much as we should.