Free Will and Action

[veil_le_pantera]

The idea of free will is something close and dear to my heart. With free will, my choices are mine, my actions are mine, and I have ownership over my life. Ironically, I have no real proof of my free will. Too much freedom of how I exercise my will leads to repercussions, stagnation and meaninglessness. Too little freedom leads to freedom from

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[veil_le_pantera]

I'm sorry for being a bit tardy about the timing of my response

[veil_le_pantera]

My brother seems to have grown up in his early years without a conscience. Whether he did or not is hard to tell. If he did, and he was a child and couldn't intellectually know better, then is he responsible for the things he did to me?

If he was not, at what point is he in control of his choices enough that he should be responsible? For me, I decided that I may be able to forgive him for his childhood actions, but I would not forgive him for his knowing adult actions. Yet what if he is still blind to what he does? Did he really choose the consequences that hurt me? Or was he oblivious to those outcomes?

Yet I cannot be held accountable for all of the hurt I have unwittingly unleashed on the world, so why should I blame him? Is ignorance a lack of free will? Or just an example of poor choice. Are intentions how you measure free will and responsibility? Or is it actions? Or must it be a combination of intentions, actions and oputcomes?