Circumstance and Free Will
We are victims of circumstance. Yes, we are also creatures of free will, but the freedom to act is dependent, even defined, by the circumstances we find ourselves in. Through conscious awareness we can use our freedom to act in enlightened ways that elevates us from victim status to integrated being. But, we start out as victims.
We do not choose our parents. We are born into the world through the random fertilization of ova by sperm. We have no control over the genetic inheritance given to us by our parents. We can’t control our ethnicity, country or the family we are born into. We cannot control whether we are born healthy or sick. We don’t control whether our parents want us or don’t. We emerge from our mother’s wombs, small, frail, needy and into circumstances that were beyond our control.
Even as we grow up from infant to young adult we do not control our circumstances. Yes, as we mature we are allotted more freedom to make decisions regarding our life. But, this is not the same thing as controlling. We can make extensive plans and have them toppled because of the will of another and other events beyond our ability to foresee. Sometimes we are lucky and things work out the way we desire. At other times they do not.
Man plans and the gods laugh…
Still planning makes more sense than not planning. We just need to be realistic. When we think we are in control we are simply manipulating trying to bring events and people more into line with our needs or desires. In order to break free from these habitual patterns of behavior we have to understand human nature first. We have to know what that means.
This is the first rung on the ladder of self awareness