Question about Evolution/Creationism etc.

[Silver Cheetah]

Originally posted by Yorick: [QB] Secondly haven't you heard of "free will". A very bold gift to humanity. We can screw the place up and reject God, or embrace him, his creation and each other. It's a matter of will. We have the freedom to do this. [QB]

Absolutely. I couldn't agree more! Whether one believes in a god or doesn't, the concept of free will is valid for all. There is much ugliness and hatred in the world, and all of it is there as a result of human actions, including mine, including yours. The world as it is the result of the thoughts and actions of everyone who has ever lived. None of us are exempt. We have created much ugliness, but we've also created a lot of beauty, - that's in addition to what was already here when we 'landed', or were created, or evolved.

However, when it comes to free will, I'd like to misquote Marx, 'all people have free will, but some have more free will than others'. This might seem a bit weird - surely we all have the same power to make good and responsible choices? - however, I'm not sure that we do.

The way our society operates, for good or for ill, means some people are freer than others, if I can put it that way. What do I mean by that? Well, many don't do their own will at all, in fact, they don't even know what it is. They don't even know who they are, or what they love, or what they want. They don't have access to their true, creative selves. That comes from living lives that are geared towards fulfilling the expectations of others, rather than being true to themselves. That's to do with how our society works, and how children are brought up and educated. (Maybe another story....)

Say you're born and brought up in a poor area, where stealing is an accepted means of getting along, and violence is stuff of daily life. Maybe you don't see much tenderness. If you don't learn that love and truth are the best ways of getting along in life, you're idea of free will might develop around the idea that it's every man for himself in this life, and the only way of getting your needs fulfilled is to take what you want, no matter if it belongs to someone else, no matter if the taking is accompanied by violence. You're at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to using your free will to create a better world, compared with someone who's been grown in a loving environment. You're going to have a lot of learning to do, as you get older, if you're going to make choices that are beneficial both for you, and the people around you. It's probably not going to be easy.

That being as it may, I believe we all need to take responsibility for who we are and what we do, no matter how crap our early experiences. If we don't, we're powerless victims all our lives. But it's definitely a LOT harder for some people to do that than it is for others. (Why is that? It's a mystery. But if you can get over it, a hard early life can be a blessing in disguise.)

Enter spirituality. Or maybe finding out who you really are, what you really want. Finding ways of connecting to the world around you. Being creative, in whatever way. Finding what you love to do in life. Finding joy in service. Or whatever. What makes life meaningful is different for everyone. I believe that people who have meaningful lives are those who are most likely to exercise their capacity for free will in a way that is positive and creative, rather than ultimately destructive.

[ 04-25-2002, 04:08 PM: Message edited by: Silver Cheetah ]