The deeper question is whether your decision was really yours. I fall in love, I decide to get married. My free will or not? Could I have fallen in love with someone else? Could I have married someone else? Why did I decide on this person and not another? I can claim I made the choice on my own and of my own will, but did I really? I regret mistakes I made in the past, but could I have done it differently? If I could have, why didn't I? If I couldn't have, where is the free will? Am I trapped in a life not of my own making? If that's true, then I truly am trapped. If not, then why can't I get it right? If I have free will, why didn't I do it better? If I don't, why not? Even everyday decisions are influenced by outside factors. It's warm enough today, so I'm going for a bike ride. Why don't I ride when it's colder? Because I don't like the cold? Is that true, or is it just an excuse to avoid riding? Am I riding today because I like to ride when it's warm or am I forcing myself to do something I don't really enjoy because I've convinced myself I should?
I've had the money for a car for several months now, yet I still don't have a car. Is that because I haven't found one that suits me? Is that just an excuse because my last car was wrecked due to a mistake on my part, and I'm secretly afraid to own one again? Should I just find the cheapest car that runs and call it good? Should I wait until just the right one comes along? Do I really have any say in the matter at all? Will my final choice be made through free will, or will I just accept what fate gives me and pretend it was my choice.
And that's just scratching the surface.
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“Never do anything you can't take back.”
—Rocky Russo
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