Some of you here may know, I'm a hard determinist (pretty sure I've mentioned it anyways), if not, I'll share the reasoning behind the belief before I get to the next bit haha. It is my belief that free will is an illusion based on our subjective experience of reality. We feel as if we are making decisions, but if you rewound time back to right before you made that decision, keeping every variable the same, I do not believe that it would be possible to make the decision in a different way than you did the first time.
the positions of the stars and planets were decided at the moment that the universe began to expand (or was created if you're a creationist
), the position and potential energy of every particle would have predicted the exact positions that they would wind up in. Hydrogen collected to form stars in accordance with these initial variables. Within these stars, the heavier elements were born. As these different elements are ejected from dying stars, the same factors that affected the movement of the first particles, dictate the movement of these new elements. These heavier elements collect to form planets, and other heavenly bodies. The Earth's exact chemical composition and position in the universe created the condition necessary for RNA etc. to form, leading to the eventual birth of single cellular life.According to the theory of evolution, life changes and adapts over time to adapt to its environment. Because of the nature of our planet, this chain of evolution eventually reached Homo Sapiens. Evolution gave us our instincts and complex neurotransmitters, and a variety of other things that not only help us survive, but also affect our every action. Those neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, endorphins, that affect our moods and actions, are often triggered by external stimuli, determining how we react to these stimuli.
Sure, you could have stayed in bed this morning instead of going to work, but would you have? I would say no. Think about a decision that you wish you had made differently, if you were to take into account every external and internal factor influencing your decision, there is no way you could have made any decision other than the one that you made. We like to feel as if we deliberately get up in the morning and make that cup of coffee, but we are really slaves to a chain of cause and effect going back to the beginning of the universe.
Now that that is over with, here's the point in my argument for determinism.
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" proclaims Aiwass. The book of the law states that a person's True Will is always in accordance with the Will of Nuit. Nuit being the egyptian sky goddess, the all, infinite space; it's not a stretch to associate Nuit with the physical universe, which would mean that the Will of Nuit is the Will of the universe itself. In my own deterministic worldview, the will of the universe dictates every action we make. This would mean that we do nothing but our True Will, meaning that the law of liberty is not necessarily a law in the sense that it's something to be obeyed, but rather a law in the scientific usage of the word. So we do nothing but our Will.
In this light, finding one's True Will is not done in order to physically do anything differently in an attempt to fulfill it, but to understand it and see how it guides our actions and the movement of everything in the universe, similar to the Tao (if my understanding of the concept is correct anyways haha). There is no way to fight against the current of Will, as every act of rebellion is only possible in accordance with that very same current. Understanding this, the restrictions and regrets that rise from our subjective experience of the illusion of free will fall away; the ego can move aside and let True will move freely.
Falling into this illusion of "free will" leads to suffering and anger as we face the failures and shortcomings of ourselves and others (although, believing in the illusion is just as determined as freeing yourself of it, so you can hardly blame someone for it haha). In reality, there is no failure, no missteps, no wrongdoings; no one has a choice where Will takes them. This is not to say that you should not be a good person, or that violent crime should go unpunished, since these factors may help suppress those types of actions (the justice system, and systems of morality are just as much variables in the chain of causality as the position of the sun). It means that wrongdoings must be forgiven, that you must forgive yourself for your missteps, since there are no wrongdoings or missteps, all things are perfect and in accordance with the Will of Nuit.
Causality (or the will of God if you prefer) is not something to be held in contempt for robbing us of freedoms, but something to be understood. You cannot help but "love thy neighbor" when you realize that he is in the exact situation that you are. Determinism is freeing, we become free from blame and the fears of failure. When everything happens in a way that is both perfect and in accordance with the universe, what is there to worry about? Your Will will be done whether you fret about it or not, so why fret? We live, love, and feel in accordance to the movement of all things. The universe unfolds before us, revealing it's mysteries that we may marvel at. Every experience is a holy interaction with the All, and is therefore beautiful.
Whether or not you currently agree with me, it's something to think about. I would definitely like to hear any thoughts anyone has on this.
