Free will, while it seems like such a simple topic, is quite complex. When you think about it, there is nothing like absolute freedom, being free to do whatever it is that you want without a thought about the repercussions. That is just not possible. There will always be limits to what we can do, there will always be limits to the boundaries that we can push.
And I’m not just talking about laws that we don’t want to break, there will also be limits that we would place on ourselves. Personal rules and codes that we’d live by and do our best not to go against. That’s why to date, there are many people who have made a conscious decision not to do something, and even when they’re in situations that would tempt them to do that particular thing, they would never succumb. So yeah, we also place the limits on ourselves.
This is very important because absolute freedom is dangerous, and it makes one arrogant. Thinking that you’re free to do whatever you want without a thought to the consequences of your actions are the makings of a psychopath. No sane person is ever truly free, because even you yourself will limit the boundaries that you can cross.
One might think that just because there’s punishment for crimes, then there is no free will. After all, since you don’t want to go to jail, then you don’t commit any crime. So, in a way, the law makes the decision for you. But that’s not the case, is it? It’s a lot more deeper than that.
We’re all free to do everything, except taking our own lives because that is a crime. But everything else is fair game. The issue here is that just as you have rights and freedom, everyone else has all those rights and freedom. That’s what makes us equal. So, when your freedom starts disrupting the freedom of other people, that’s when crimes happen and law enforcement agencies would have to be involved.
Life is sacred, and everyone has a right to life, that’s why murder is a crime. Because everyone should be free to live and no one should be allowed to take any life. The same for property, everyone has a right to own property, that’s why robbery is a crime, stealing is also a crime, fraud is a crime. By taking what belongs to other people without their permission, you’re stepping on their rights to own this things. And that’s what the law frowns upon.
So, when you commit these crimes, the punishment is usually by taking the most valuable thing from you; your freedom. You’re kept in a cell, one that is definitely not your choice. You eat only what you’re given and when you’re given the food. You wear only what you’re allowed to wear. You socialize only when you’re allowed to. You can only mingle with people when you’re allowed to.
Everything that you enjoyed as a free individual, everything that was taken from granted, is stripped off of you. And then, that is when people realize the true meaning of freedom.
For me, free will is simply being able to make choices that I believe are best for me. Free will very much exists, after all, we’re a product of the choices that we make. Where we are today is simply a byproduct of choices that we made in the past. People choose to commit crimes, people choose to work hard, people choose to be lazy. Yeah, life situations might be different, backgrounds might factor in, but in the long run, it’s still just a choice.
And as long as there is a choice, it doesn’t matter how limited the choices are, then there is free will. Freedom doesn’t mean “disregard of consequences”, but “in spite of consequences”. We do what we do knowing the possible outcome that we could be faced with. We choose to take risks knowing that we could win big, or we could lose big. Crimes are committed knowing that it could work in their favor or it could lead them right to prison.
We don’t commit crimes because the fear of going to prison trumps whatever we may have gained from that crime. For others, the idea of the benefits of crime would trump the fear of going to prison. For some, it might just be ethical reasons, that’s all. Either way, it comes down to two thing. Yes or No. You’re either doing it or you’re not.
That’s what freedom is, the ability to say yes or to say no. Once you take that right from someone, they’re no longer free because whatever answer they give to you is no longer by choice.
