Is the Will Free?

Some one once asked me if I believed in free will. I blurted out that I don’t really care if there is free will or not because in all ways it certainly feels like there is and that’s all that really matters. Perhaps this very simple response is the best answer of all.

The state of free will is enjoyed when the mind automatically resides on the level of infinite choices. When the mind is not
bound to any one choice or any specific direction, then the sense of freedom is supreme. The awakened mind is freedom
itself. Herein the whole field of choice is permanently fulfilled; in the presence of God, all choices are possible.

I like to think of determinism as a partial experience of free will wherein all decisions are guided by the wisdom of cosmic reality, as needed, to speed individuals on to their eternal freedom as fast as possible.

When we have a large bank account, the choices available to us greatly exceed the choices available to a person who has less. Not only the choices but also the quality and quantity of experience are tremendously enhanced. Similarly, the more access to consciousness we have the more enjoyment is available. Overflowing Self-awareness, like overflowing wealth, is easy to share and positively influences more and more people.

We determine our own freedom by making choices that minimize restrictions to choice. Determinism is just a limited form of free will, which, with maturity and understanding, grows to greater and greater freedom of choice.

If we are driving down the street and we come to a red light, we understand that it is sensible to stop and wait for a green light. We do not view the red light as a restriction to our activity even though it told us to stop and delayed our progress. Just like red and green lights, laws—natural and man-made—are not restrictions to free will but are the rules that ensure our survival to make more intelligent choices.