Free will is a choice, but with a consequence

I’ve been thinking a lot about free will. Choice. We each have the power to make our own choices. And for each of those choices is a consequence.

And whichever choice we make, the consequence is ours. Unless we are affected by consequences as a result of someone elses choices. Right?

When I hear people say we all have free will, all I hear them saying is whatever choice we make we will experience a consequence. Nowhere do they say there is a choice for a good or bad outcome.

I used to think having free will meant we could all make choices that would give us good outcomes instead of bad ones. But I realize now free will just means we get to make choices. There’s nothing in there about what kind of outcome we get. The consequences of our choices might still be crappy ones because that might be all that’s available.

The only thing we control in life is our power to choose. And even then, the only time we can make best use of that power, is when we are able to perceive the consequences of our choices with a balanced view, in a way we can cope with those consequences.

So even if we get a range of choices, sometimes the only consequences we may get are negative ones. At least until we choose to see the positives.

Indifference: When You Want To Care

For many of us we sometimes experience a state of indifference. Put simply, this state of being is a lack of emotion for anyone or anything. Which doesn’t sound very nice but it’s like any other state of being, it may or may not last very long and it is an indicator of your overall wellbeing. Also known as apathy, psychologists refer to this state of being as anhedonia, which is defined as being unable to feel pleasure or joy. As a ‘condition’, this state of indifference is often said to be a core symptom in depression or PSTD but I also think it’s a natural human occurrence that stems from the experiences we have in life and the way we process our emotions and thoughts, and in this post I will offer my perspective on indifference in general.

The Song About ME

Soweto Gospel Choir ~ Hosanna

I am listening to the song Hosanna by the Soweto Gospel Choir and while Im not a religious person (dont try and convert me, I will erupt like ten demons) I love the uplifting lyrics of hymns, gospel music and the like. What I really like about this song are the empowering lyrics especially my favorite verse:

Let the weak say I am strong

Let the poor say I am rich

Let the blind say I can see

What the Lord has done in me

I happily admit I dont understand the meaning of these lyrics other than what I take from them myself. To me these lyrics are about me, and the Lord… is me. This song is all about me.

Stress: What are you exposed to?

We’ve read about children being exposed to violence and profanity, from their environments as well as the media and we know they are subconsciously absorbing this behavior which can manifest in their own actions when they become older.

But children aren’t the only ones exposed to negativity in their environments. We too, as adults, are constantly exposed to subliminal stimulation.

And it makes sense, right? If you are constantly around a particular environment or person it can play havoc on your own subconscious thought processes. We take on subliminal messages visually, aurally as well as physically. Consider the ads you see on TV, the repetition of some images will stay with you and effectively create an emotional attachment so whenever you see the image you feel happy/sad/whatever.

With this in mind it becomes a little easier to see how we are affected by what we are exposing ourselves to.