How Much Do YOU Control? (Part 3)
This is the last message in this series, in which I’ve been examining the extent of our free will. You can read Parts 1 and 2 by going to www.YourSpiritualJourney.net .
In Part 2, I invited you to do an exercise where you attempted to keep your mind free of any thoughts for three minutes. If you did the exercise, how many thoughts did You have during this three minute period? If you had 10 thoughts or less, You have a very quiet mind. People who can attain that level of mental calmness are generally those who have practiced meditation, yoga, or martial arts for years.
It is not unusual for people to have 50 or more thoughts during the three minute period. Each thought can pass in a split second, so it’s possible that you might not have recorded every thought that arose. Don’t be concerned about the number of thoughts you had. In case you’re wondering, when I did this exercise a few weeks ago, I had 20 thoughts.
The important lesson to learn from this exercise is that while you’re trying to keep your mind blank, thoughts are literally flooding your mind. Something outside of You is putting these thoughts in your mind. Your free will has been “defeated.” While doing this exercise, You were not in control of your thinking.
Furthermore, most people find that among the string of thoughts they experience, some are bizarre and quite shocking. For instance, you think about a person at work, and then, in an instant, your mind shifts to an experience you had in grade school, or to a person you haven’t seen in 20 years. How powerful is Your free will and control when thoughts are being “switched” on You from moment to moment?
Let me be fair in presenting the other side. For more than 20 years, I’ve written about the power of a positive attitude and a positive belief system. My life changed dramatically for the better when I changed my attitude. Millions of people have improved their lives by developing a more positive attitude. There is no question that a negative attitude leads to negative results. We might then conclude that we have the free will to change our attitude at any time. I’ve stated that many times.
However, I must now admit (after investigating further) that there’s no way to prove that we are exercising our free will when we think positive thoughts – or negative thoughts. In other words, You can’t be sure if You are doing it – or if You are somehow programmed or destined to think in a certain way. Therefore, I know that my attitude changed – but I don’t know if “I” was the one who initiated the change. How can I know this is not something that God controls? Perhaps my attitude changed when God decided it would change – and that I had no say in the matter.
Your mind and ego will tell you that of course You are choosing your attitude with your free will. The ego wants to feel important and powerful. But as I see it, You have no way of proving that You made the choice – and I’ve already identified a number of instances where You don’t have any control over your thoughts or your environment. It’s clear You are not running the whole show. What is not clear is what part of the show, if any, You ARE controlling.
When we question the extent of our free will, we are walking down a dark alley. We open up issues like personal responsibility. Are criminals always responsible for their actions? Does your lazy friend or relative have any choice but to be lazy? In most instances, the ego won’t even let you consider these things. The investigation might lead the ego to be diminished or annihilated, and the ego has no desire to shrink or lose its apparent power.
Here’s another interesting point to consider. Most people who like to read materials on self-development and spiritual growth believe in these two principles:
1. Everything happens for a reason.
2. Every adversity has the seed of an equal or greater benefit. (Napoleon Hill)
Do You believe in these principles? Well, if you do, let’s examine how they fit into the notion of You exercising free will and having control over your life. I’m sure there have been many times in your life when you wanted to achieve something. You were positive and took action. Yet, you didn’t achieve what you wanted. As a result, you were disappointed. However, at some point later on, you realized why the disappointing result happened – that it served a purpose to re-direct you to something better, or to teach you a valuable lesson.
In the end, you were thankful that you “failed” initially. When you look at the adversities in your life, you see the same thing. Lessons learned, re-directions and opportunities that serve you in the long run. The “bad” thing turned into a “good” thing.
For these principles to operate, Your free will has to be thwarted. You set out in one direction to achieve a result but your path was blocked for some reason. Who blocked your path? Who thwarted Your free will? Apparently God has the ability to “over-ride” Your free will. When are You allowed to “do your own thing” – and when does God step in to take control? Free will is not the simple matter the ego would have you believe.
Although the ego craves control, religions and spiritual traditions emphasize the value of giving up control. Many religions advocate surrender of our free will to God. No doubt you have heard the principle, “Not My will but Thy will be done.” As you know, many people find peace and spiritual connection by surrendering to God, or to Jesus. They surrendered after conceding that their own free will got them into trouble. Their lives improved when they stopped trying to figure out what to do and instead invited God to take over. Surrendering to God was the key to their liberation.
The following quote is attributed to the Buddha: “Events happen, deeds are done, but there is no individual doer thereof.” According to this view, which is adopted by many Eastern spiritual traditions and followers of non-duality (Oneness) worldwide, we don’t have any free will. All is controlled by God.
There is one final point regarding religion and free will. Most religions believe that God is omniscient, or All-Knowing. Thus, God knows exactly what choices You will make. If all your choices are known in advance, do You really have free will?
Well, that’s the end of our exploration of free will for now. I’ve raised a lot of questions, but I’m not able to give you any definitive answers. What then is the use of this investigation? I’ve found that part of our spiritual journey involves looking for the truth. The beliefs we’ve been fed for many years about free will are simply not true. They don’t survive investigation when they are tested. We can either keep our heads in the sand or we can be open to the truth.
– Jeff Keller
© 2008