What is Free Will?

We often use the term Free Will, assuming it is truly free, implying we control our actions. Let's explore some of our activities.

• We choose to travel as we earn money, believing it represents freedom, yet we must adhere to numerous rules and regulations governing travel.

• Spending hard-earned money is challenging, as the government takes more than half through various taxes. We cannot avoid paying taxes, or we risk imprisonment and being labeled criminals.

• Men are legally compelled to marry only one wife, unlike other animals that do not follow such customs.

• There are countless rules and regulations in education, health, and finance, leaving us so constrained that we are hardly free to express even our speech.

Given these scenarios, people have minimal free will. However, we experience various feelings due to emotional situations. Our bodies release hormones that heighten emotions like fear, anger, and guilt, making feelings seem real, yet people react differently. Some react very aggressively to both positive and negative emotions, questioning the reality of feelings. This is why many Eastern spiritual philosophies claim feelings are not real. Instead of reacting, we should control our emotions and respond appropriately. Often, No response is the best response, as it defuses situations. Controlling our hormonal responses and acting according to universal ethical values is termed Free Will. This illustrates that we control only our responses. This way of living is called Dharma in Hinduism. Reacting instead of responding leads to Karma, which must be resolved in this life or the next.

The discussion of these universal ethical values will be addressed in the next post.