“Man can do what he wills, but he cannot will what he wills.”
– Arthur Schopenhauer


Free will is generally defined as the ability to make choices independent of what has been conditioned into a person through previous decisions. It is the sense of control over one’s decisions, where the options are truly open. I think this is an illusion.

I believe that character is formed beginning at birth, through cultural and familial conditioning, rewards, and reinforcement. By the time we reach a place in life where we feel as if our own decisions are leading us down a particular path, it has already been decided for us. We are predisposed to gravitate towards or against certain events and people. Our desires and inclinations are formed before we realize it. Therefore, when a choice is in front of us and we decide to do one thing over another, the decision is largely already made.

I think this is the same way with every decision, large or small. If we were truly in control of our decisions, we would be able to accept responsibility of the consequences of every choice that leads us in directions we did not expect. In an attempt to rationalize the decisions we did not make, people begin to believe that if they had done differently in a given situation, the outcomes of that decision would be better. The desire to believe there is power in our decisions is greater than the desire to accept responsibility for those decisions.


So why not blame everything else?

For example: say we are faced with two very similar job offers. One leads us away from a lifelong career, while the other leads us towards it.

This is obviously a very difficult decision, and the ability to choose either one is an example of free will.
However, I think that both of these possibilities are merely a reflection of what has already been conditioned into us from birth. We were taught the importance of a certain career path before we entered the “adult world.” The decision is not between having free will versus fate, it is between two fates. The illusion is believing that either one is a product of free will.

So much thought is put into separating the two terms – “freedom of choice” and “predestination” but it does little good. It does not take away the fact that there are often real world consequences to the decisions we make, nor does it erase our ability to rationalize situations to ourselves in order to feel better. However, it does help us to understand that the power of belief in ourselves is greater than the power of belief in anything else.

I do not think it is accurate to define free will as a binary. There is not simply a choice between free will and predestination. I think it would be more beneficial for us to define free will on a sliding scale. We must acknowledge that although we may have been predisposed toward one thing, it is still our decision to follow through with it – and we must take responsibility for doing so.