So does free will exist?

Of course it does.

At least in the minds of many people.

At least as a phenomenon in life, a concept for hope and control and some sort of human power.

It can look that way, for sure.

It can feel that way, absolutely.

It can seem a really important straw to grasp.

But what about the people who know for sure that it’s bullshit?

What about the methodical skeptics, the critics, the analyzers?

There are more than enough people who oppose the whole idea and have talked about it or written books about it.

I did that.

A couple of years ago I spent quite some time deconstructing the notion of free will, and I found it very easy (and totally enjoyable) back then to call it nonsense.

I guess I missed the point.

It doesn’t matter.

Or it does.

You believe there is free will and that is somehow helpful or soothing or simply part of how you want life to be.

Or you just see it as a naïve and romantic idea.

And anything in between.

It doesn’t have to be true.

The great thing about being alive is that there are so many flavors to choose from.

(Or to simply receive, to be injected or infused with, if you don’t believe there’s no such thing as choice.)

Debating free will is simply part of life, and for that reason, it’s important and interesting.

Right now I don’t believe there is really something like free will, not ultimately, and I could give you a huge amount of examples to back that up.

But I won’t.

Because I also believe that it can totally feel like there IS free will.

And for me, that is way more interesting.

And, and.

For me, those two seemingly opposite positions can coexist happily.

If it feels like I can make a decision, that is what happens, that is how it comes across at the moment, and I can totally indulge in that.

It doesn’t matter if I can ‘prove’ that it’s an illusion.

Do you really think it’s necessary to prove life?

Would love feel better or richer or deeper if science approved it?

Everything we can believe or not believe is part of life.

That’s why it’s important and essential.

And that’s why it exists.

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(Photo by @vonshnauzer, for Unsplash)