Free Will Or Fate?

Just my opinion…

(Please note that my current research and understanding leads me to nod to the concept that there is a Source from which all energy emanates. Yes, this ‘all’ is so far above that which I am capable of conceiving, yet I am settled in the notion that it is a reality. Therefore, the knowing, linked to all of my writing, is that there IS an ‘ALL’)

It appears that from the onset of existence, we are gifted with FREE WILL, enabling us to choose to love one another as well as a multiplicity of entities at all echelons, freely. Free Will…such beautiful amazing words…countries are formed and men have died for the ability to exercise that god given right to choose… I see free will as an indelible, eternal gift. Let us think on that for a few seconds. Free will…it is a never ending, sacrificing, love gift offered to us wholly and completely. It has never been, and will never be taken from us, no matter how horrific the consequences of our choices. So, it is truly an awesome gift, yet clearly so much more.

It is a complex, breath-taking, multifaceted responsibility through which we can achieve growth and enhanced understanding as well as find our way to a greater ability to love.

A thought process which muddies the waters, and creates great confusion as well as doubt for man, is that in an effort to proliferate a strong, positive faith, religion has placed great emphasis on a God who answers prayers and has the ability to perform miracles for his loved ‘children’.

So unfortunately, in cases where you pray and don’t receive the answer you wish, or in cases where something negative happens in your life, this unrealistic expectation of God’s response, opens a chasm whereby everything we don’t understand we either blame him for, chalk it up as one of those great ‘mysteries’ we can never understand, or assume we somehow have been ‘bad’ and are being punished by some great divine being who is angry with us. There are feelings of disappointment, or lack of valuation…feeling as if you don’t matter…thoughts of ‘can he hear me’ or ‘is he even up there’ and if he is, have I fallen out of favor?’

With the level of destruction from recent events, such as 911 or the tsunami, Hurricane Ike, or any incident where seemingly innocent human lives are forever affected; is it possible we are in a time where many have become confused as to where God lets go, and man becomes responsible for his free will choices?

It becomes natural to look to this God who ‘answers prayers’ and cry out ‘Why?’ ‘Why have you allowed this to happen to your children?’ It’s as if we expect Him, or his angels or saints to come down from heaven and hover in the path of those planes, arms outstretched, shielding the towers. Or stand in front of the Tsunami tide, and with the mighty strength and breath of God, either blow it back out to sea, or force the waters to calm. He is all knowing, so why didn’t He stop the ugliness before it occurred? Why doesn’t He force a drunk driver to drive into a ditch instead of hitting an oncoming car full of innocents? In the midst of tragedy, it’s nearly impossible to see the larger picture.

Though I hear all the time of the belief that these occurrences are somehow predetermined - predestined….orchestrated to occur; I DISAGREE. I disagree that an all knowing, all loving energy whom creates the beauty of a flower, and the delicacy of a hummingbirds wing, wields that same awesome power to deliberately inflict harm, despair, and pain on humans for some higher, unknown purpose of a positive nature.

So, here’s my view…the divine is always available to us, only a thought away. In fact, let’s use parenting as an example to help us understand the love relationship that can occur between the Source and humanity.

Parents realize their children will falter and make mistakes. As a parent watches a young teenager make decisions and suffer the consequences of those actions, this greater Source provides for us to use our free will to make choices, and experience – even suffer the effects of those choices. And as parents rejoice with their children when they learn valuable growing lessons, so does the Source, with us. How difficult is it to watch a child stumble as they attempt to walk, or fall from a bike, or drive away in a car that first time? Yet, we inherently understand we have to let go - out of love - though it’s a sacrifice. We allow our children the same opportunities and pitfalls that free will invites. And know that along with those choices, comes greater growth to enable our children to stand strong and proud.

And yes, our children are guaranteed to feel pain in some of their life choices – that’s when parents are right there with loving arms to comfort as they heal and achieve enhanced awareness for an ever widening universe…and so is Source available to us, if we so allow.