You can choose
To believe there’s no choice
Your future fixed
Life predetermined
Bound to march down
The path prepared
By some external force.
Or you can choose
To trust your own voice
Your future unwritten
Shaped by your choice
All paths open to you
And as free as your will.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
There’s a very interesting philosophy that has sort of permeated human consciousness for at least thousands of years, and this philosophy says that everything is already set out.
The entire game of life has already sort of been prepared and planned out, and the best that we can do as human beings is to move through this game, taking the step that’s in front of us, because after all, it’s already been set. It’s already been planned. It’s already been arranged.
And so your job, dear human, within this sort of philosophy, your job is just to take the step that’s given to you and just accept that you are where you are, accept that you are who you are, and just accept that, you know what? Things aren’t gonna change.
This is a very interesting philosophy, because it shows up in so many areas of life. It shows up in people’s psychology where they just say, “You know what, “I am how I am, and that’s really not gonna change.”
It also shows up in people’s bodies where they have this sort of genetic idea that, well, look at my genetics, this is just how I am. This is just how it is in my family. It shows up financially, it shows up socially, it shows up in people’s understanding of the universe and their own spirituality.
This philosophy is called determinism, and it is incredibly pervasive in the human experience. And my observation is that there is actually nothing that robs people of their freedom more than this philosophy.
The idea that everything’s already set, the idea that you as an individual do not have the power to create something new, that it’s already been set out, and the best that you can do is just take the path that’s been given to you.
There are even people in this world right now, there are people who are practicing and communicating the idea that there is no such thing as choice. You actually aren’t in control. Other people are in control. Other forces are in charge of your life, and you don’t really have a choice.
There are these people who say that free will is a myth. Free will doesn’t exist. Well, to those people, I would say that if you choose to believe that there is no such thing as free will, you’re free to believe that. You’re free to operate according to that philosophy.
I’m not here to make anybody right or to make anybody wrong. I stopped asking what’s true a long time ago and I just started asking what’s useful. And personally, I have not found any use or utility in this philosophy of determinism, the idea that says that everything’s already set out and you don’t have a choice.
This concept of free will is actually something that’s available to you in every moment, that you can choose your thoughts, you can choose your behaviors, you can choose to listen to that voice inside of you, you can choose to cultivate your dreams and your vision.
And in fact, in every moment, you have the opportunity to make some new choices. You can decide what it is that you are going to give the priceless gift of your attention to, and very quickly you begin to produce new evidence to support a brand new philosophy, the idea that you are actually in charge. That nobody’s calling the shots on your behalf.
That in fact, you are creating the quality of your life with every choice you make, and you are free. You are so free that you can either choose determinism or you can choose to begin to trend your focus in a new direction.
You can become a little more creative, a little more courageous, a little bit more playful, a little bit more spontaneous, a little bit more innovative. And then you get to judge by results. See what works for you.
I don’t know what’s right or wrong for you, but you do. So why not make today a day of new choices?