If I Will

Debate pervades regarding the existence of free will; interestingly, it is in this debate that science and religion share a common ground.  Faith based religions have for centuries argued that our life-paths are decided by a higher power.  Today’s neuroscience has characterized a modality of human function, which, in conjunction with understanding of complex emotional displacement, has eliminated the function of will.  Not all within psychiatry—and probably not all within neuroscience—disbelieve in the existence of free will; there are enough, however, that I feel it important to consider this debate.

Our decision making is part of a psychic make-up which is mostly decided by genes and environment.  If you were to look at the statistics regarding drug abuse, homelessness, incarceration, mental illness, suicide, and other maladies you would see an astronomical correlation to abusive childhood environments.

The factors of genes and environment influence lives with such force that sometimes people, who are charged with a criminal offense, are found not guilty because of their compromised decision making ability.  The premise is, very simply, that in certain situations, people, who suffer from a psychological disorder, or drug abuse, cannot be considered culpable for their offense.   Our minds are so sensitive to environment, drug abuse, trauma, and psychological disorder that reason may escape a person; convicting such people is thought to be a violation against civil liberty.

Less than a week ago, a friend and I had a brief but spirited debate on the existence of free will.  He is a theologian.  And he expressed a belief in a higher power which decides our life-paths for us.  I am an agnostic.  But I try to be open to the influence of spirituality in my life-path.  But maybe, I’m just stumbling along failing to have faith in a higher power.

My belief is that our genes are like a road map which we use for guidance to lead better, more satisfying lives.  And our environment might be like the directions we are given by a friend—whose house we are visiting.  We have to transform the information, given by our road map and directions, into action for our desired route to take us where we intend.  Taking in information from our genetic map, and environmental directions, are not passive—they must be interpreted.  Will is involved in receiving information, energy, strength and other such resources we use to navigate the world we live in. 

Sometimes people give bad directions; in such instances, the person driving cannot be to blame if she gets lost.  No one is fully in control of their own destiny; at times, people can be considered to not be in control in any way at all.   

There is a lot that intercedes which acts as an antagonist force to our autonomy.  Maybe this is a good thing.  Maybe I’d be better off if I had a higher power deciding how I am to lead my life.  Maybe I just need to better understand the will of this higher power to better direct the life I’ve been given.  But I continue to believe that I have at least a slight influence on how that higher power is interpreted, and thus, how her guidance is used in my directing my own life.  And I believe that cultivating self-awareness is the best means to walking an enlightened path.  I will always be curious and questioning.  But I do not believe that I will ever submit to any doctrine or dogma which is fatalistic.