Everywhere the human soul stands between a hemisphere of light and another of darkness; on the confines of the two everlasting empires, necessity and freewill.
—Thomas Carlyle
Freewill means we get free range. The idea is that we get to choose for ourselves. The choice then becomes personal, as in you choose how to think, act, and talk. With that said, you are responsible for what you think, act, and say. Unless you’re four years old, don’t blame others for your actions. Life is a reflection of those thoughts, deeds, and words that write your story. If you are unhappy with your current location, you are the one that is responsible for moving.
I listen to a father tell me how his family seems unmotivated and aimless. After about 20 minutes I said I asked “Whose in charge?” He wasn’t sure. I asked, “Why aren’t yo in charge?” You would have thought I threw a glass of ice water at him.
If you don’t want to take responsibility to change, the assumption is that you must not be that unhappy so quit telling me about it. Yep, I,m that kind of therapist. You are always in the driver’s seat, even when you don’t agree.
Freewill begs for action
One of the more entertaining things I hear is typically from atheists. I enjoy when they say, “How can loving God allow” (fill in the blank). It’s like my children blaming me for allowing them to make a mess of their room.The youngest daughter, Day, tries this logic once in awhile. She’ll say something like, “If you didn’t want me to … , then why did you let me … ?” To which her brother and sister smile reassuringly and say that someday she’ll understand. The world is our room. Don’t blame the Father for the mess. If you don’t like it, guess what? You have the will to change it, or you can blame another.
Here are three scenarios. One, God created the world, and there is no free will. God controls everything, and life, including us, is an illusion of free will. A second scenario is that God created the world with free range, so life is as we choose. The third scenario comes without God. We evolved into humans, and life is the way it is. The only scenario that escapes the realm of responsibility is that God created a world that he controls, and you are a child picking what is laid out for you.
The idea of bad things happening no apparent reason is scary. A free world is not predetermined. Free range means free choice and the ownership of the choice. It is an opportunity for the strong to take responsibility and become greater in the process. Overcoming fear is the largest hurdle to achievement. Each time you take control and overcome, you transform into something greater, whether you win or lose.
A fool looks for any reason to escape responsibility. A wise person looks for each opportunity to take control. Only at the story’s end does a fool become wise. What is easily ignored in the beginning is painfully obvious in the end. Sadly, if the lessons haven’t been learned at that point, it doesn’t matter. Nobody ever escapes the consequences of their choices.
More food for thought https://reluctanttherapist.com/time-for-change/ → https://reluctanttherapist.com/give-me-courage/ https://reluctanttherapist.com/faithing-the-facts/ → https://reluctanttherapist.com/do-you-care/ → https://reluctanttherapist.com/the-choice-is-yours/ → https://reluctanttherapist.com/in-god-we-trust-really/
- Reluctant Therapist