#free-will — Public Fediverse posts

Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Is Free Will a Thing?

As I mentioned last week, I got into a debate with an atheist in my comments section who said that free will can’t exist if God knows everything. He believes that if God knows everything, then we can’t actually choose anything for ourselves, and He is ultimately the one causing people to be sent to Hell. This can be a sketchy topic since answering this question can easily send a person into the theological weeds, but here’s my take.

Ultimately, the answer to this question is that knowing doesn’t equal causing. It is true that throughout the Bible, there are plenty of passages about God knowing what will happen. Take, for instance, Isaiah 46:9-10, where it says:

9Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’

However, there are also a myriad of passages which talk about human responsibility. One example is in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, which says:

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

From this, we can see that while the Bible says God knows everything that will ever happen, it also says that we have a choice between God’s way and our way. Rather than being contradictory, this is more complementary. As an illustration of how this works, imagine that you have a friend who’s wildly predictable. Even when presented with numerous other choices, you know that they’ll go for the same one every time. They’ll pick chocolate over vanilla or strawberry. They always pick plain T-shirts over graphic Tees. They always wear Converse even if Doc Martins are the better choice. You get the picture.

You knowing what they’re going to pick doesn’t mean that you’re causing them to pick that thing. They could still pick any of the other options, they just don’t.

It’s kind-of like that with God. Though He knows everything we’re going to do, He gives us a myriad of opportunities and chances to pick a new path. If you’re a non-Christian, He gives you chance after chance to turn towards Him. If you’re a Christian, He gives you opportunities to obey Him.

Further, not allowing free will isn’t something that’s in line with God’s character. God is all-loving. If He didn’t give us free will, He couldn’t be all-loving because for love to exist, freedom of choice must exist. If Adam and Eve hadn’t been given the option to eat of the tree of good and evil, they could never have had a true relationship with God.

Now, at this point the question of predestination pops up, since the Bible also emphasizes predestination a lot as well. This one has led to a huge debate, with the two major sides being Calvinism and Arminianism. Some Calvinists are more extreme than others on this question, but the overall view on that end is that God’s grace irresistibly draws in those who have been elected by God to be saved. Calvinists teach that we aren’t completely free and can’t really choose God in our sinful state unless we’ve been chosen by Him and regenerated to follow Him. Arminianism, on the other hand, teaches that God’s election is based on foreseen faith, in which case it’s up to us to accept God’s grace or reject it.

[Author’s Note: Personally, I generally lean more towards Arminianism, but try to stay somewhere in the middle on this one.]

Either way you look at it, it’s not an essential of the faith and there are Bible verses to back up both views. On one hand I can understand the Calvinist view since if your heart is hardened against God, it often takes a work of the Spirit to soften it so you can accept Christ. At the same time, however, I also can understand the Arminian perspective that God’s election is based on foreseen faith. Ultimately, though, there’s a great level of mystery to it that we’re likely not going to totally understand in life, but it’s better than the alternative that atheism provides.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Is Free Will a Thing?

As I mentioned last week, I got into a debate with an atheist in my comments section who said that free will can’t exist if God knows everything. He believes that if God knows everything, then we can’t actually choose anything for ourselves, and He is ultimately the one causing people to be sent to Hell. This can be a sketchy topic since answering this question can easily send a person into the theological weeds, but here’s my take.

Ultimately, the answer to this question is that knowing doesn’t equal causing. It is true that throughout the Bible, there are plenty of passages about God knowing what will happen. Take, for instance, Isaiah 46:9-10, where it says:

9Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’

However, there are also a myriad of passages which talk about human responsibility. One example is in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, which says:

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

From this, we can see that while the Bible says God knows everything that will ever happen, it also says that we have a choice between God’s way and our way. Rather than being contradictory, this is more complementary. As an illustration of how this works, imagine that you have a friend who’s wildly predictable. Even when presented with numerous other choices, you know that they’ll go for the same one every time. They’ll pick chocolate over vanilla or strawberry. They always pick plain T-shirts over graphic Tees. They always wear Converse even if Doc Martins are the better choice. You get the picture.

You knowing what they’re going to pick doesn’t mean that you’re causing them to pick that thing. They could still pick any of the other options, they just don’t.

It’s kind-of like that with God. Though He knows everything we’re going to do, He gives us a myriad of opportunities and chances to pick a new path. If you’re a non-Christian, He gives you chance after chance to turn towards Him. If you’re a Christian, He gives you opportunities to obey Him.

Further, not allowing free will isn’t something that’s in line with God’s character. God is all-loving. If He didn’t give us free will, He couldn’t be all-loving because for love to exist, freedom of choice must exist. If Adam and Eve hadn’t been given the option to eat of the tree of good and evil, they could never have had a true relationship with God.

Now, at this point the question of predestination pops up, since the Bible also emphasizes predestination a lot as well. This one has led to a huge debate, with the two major sides being Calvinism and Arminianism. Some Calvinists are more extreme than others on this question, but the overall view on that end is that God’s grace irresistibly draws in those who have been elected by God to be saved. Calvinists teach that we aren’t completely free and can’t really choose God in our sinful state unless we’ve been chosen by Him and regenerated to follow Him. Arminianism, on the other hand, teaches that God’s election is based on foreseen faith, in which case it’s up to us to accept God’s grace or reject it.

[Author’s Note: Personally, I generally lean more towards Arminianism, but try to stay somewhere in the middle on this one.]

Either way you look at it, it’s not an essential of the faith and there are Bible verses to back up both views. On one hand I can understand the Calvinist view since if your heart is hardened against God, it often takes a work of the Spirit to soften it so you can accept Christ. At the same time, however, I also can understand the Arminian perspective that God’s election is based on foreseen faith. Ultimately, though, there’s a great level of mystery to it that we’re likely not going to totally understand in life, but it’s better than the alternative that atheism provides.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Is Free Will a Thing?

As I mentioned last week, I got into a debate with an atheist in my comments section who said that free will can’t exist if God knows everything. He believes that if God knows everything, then we can’t actually choose anything for ourselves, and He is ultimately the one causing people to be sent to Hell. This can be a sketchy topic since answering this question can easily send a person into the theological weeds, but here’s my take.

Ultimately, the answer to this question is that knowing doesn’t equal causing. It is true that throughout the Bible, there are plenty of passages about God knowing what will happen. Take, for instance, Isaiah 46:9-10, where it says:

9Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’

However, there are also a myriad of passages which talk about human responsibility. One example is in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, which says:

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

From this, we can see that while the Bible says God knows everything that will ever happen, it also says that we have a choice between God’s way and our way. Rather than being contradictory, this is more complementary. As an illustration of how this works, imagine that you have a friend who’s wildly predictable. Even when presented with numerous other choices, you know that they’ll go for the same one every time. They’ll pick chocolate over vanilla or strawberry. They always pick plain T-shirts over graphic Tees. They always wear Converse even if Doc Martins are the better choice. You get the picture.

You knowing what they’re going to pick doesn’t mean that you’re causing them to pick that thing. They could still pick any of the other options, they just don’t.

It’s kind-of like that with God. Though He knows everything we’re going to do, He gives us a myriad of opportunities and chances to pick a new path. If you’re a non-Christian, He gives you chance after chance to turn towards Him. If you’re a Christian, He gives you opportunities to obey Him.

Further, not allowing free will isn’t something that’s in line with God’s character. God is all-loving. If He didn’t give us free will, He couldn’t be all-loving because for love to exist, freedom of choice must exist. If Adam and Eve hadn’t been given the option to eat of the tree of good and evil, they could never have had a true relationship with God.

Now, at this point the question of predestination pops up, since the Bible also emphasizes predestination a lot as well. This one has led to a huge debate, with the two major sides being Calvinism and Arminianism. Some Calvinists are more extreme than others on this question, but the overall view on that end is that God’s grace irresistibly draws in those who have been elected by God to be saved. Calvinists teach that we aren’t completely free and can’t really choose God in our sinful state unless we’ve been chosen by Him and regenerated to follow Him. Arminianism, on the other hand, teaches that God’s election is based on foreseen faith, in which case it’s up to us to accept God’s grace or reject it.

[Author’s Note: Personally, I generally lean more towards Arminianism, but try to stay somewhere in the middle on this one.]

Either way you look at it, it’s not an essential of the faith and there are Bible verses to back up both views. On one hand I can understand the Calvinist view since if your heart is hardened against God, it often takes a work of the Spirit to soften it so you can accept Christ. At the same time, however, I also can understand the Arminian perspective that God’s election is based on foreseen faith. Ultimately, though, there’s a great level of mystery to it that we’re likely not going to totally understand in life, but it’s better than the alternative that atheism provides.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Is Free Will a Thing?

As I mentioned last week, I got into a debate with an atheist in my comments section who said that free will can’t exist if God knows everything. He believes that if God knows everything, then we can’t actually choose anything for ourselves, and He is ultimately the one causing people to be sent to Hell. This can be a sketchy topic since answering this question can easily send a person into the theological weeds, but here’s my take.

Ultimately, the answer to this question is that knowing doesn’t equal causing. It is true that throughout the Bible, there are plenty of passages about God knowing what will happen. Take, for instance, Isaiah 46:9-10, where it says:

9Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’

However, there are also a myriad of passages which talk about human responsibility. One example is in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, which says:

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

From this, we can see that while the Bible says God knows everything that will ever happen, it also says that we have a choice between God’s way and our way. Rather than being contradictory, this is more complementary. As an illustration of how this works, imagine that you have a friend who’s wildly predictable. Even when presented with numerous other choices, you know that they’ll go for the same one every time. They’ll pick chocolate over vanilla or strawberry. They always pick plain T-shirts over graphic Tees. They always wear Converse even if Doc Martins are the better choice. You get the picture.

You knowing what they’re going to pick doesn’t mean that you’re causing them to pick that thing. They could still pick any of the other options, they just don’t.

It’s kind-of like that with God. Though He knows everything we’re going to do, He gives us a myriad of opportunities and chances to pick a new path. If you’re a non-Christian, He gives you chance after chance to turn towards Him. If you’re a Christian, He gives you opportunities to obey Him.

Further, not allowing free will isn’t something that’s in line with God’s character. God is all-loving. If He didn’t give us free will, He couldn’t be all-loving because for love to exist, freedom of choice must exist. If Adam and Eve hadn’t been given the option to eat of the tree of good and evil, they could never have had a true relationship with God.

Now, at this point the question of predestination pops up, since the Bible also emphasizes predestination a lot as well. This one has led to a huge debate, with the two major sides being Calvinism and Arminianism. Some Calvinists are more extreme than others on this question, but the overall view on that end is that God’s grace irresistibly draws in those who have been elected by God to be saved. Calvinists teach that we aren’t completely free and can’t really choose God in our sinful state unless we’ve been chosen by Him and regenerated to follow Him. Arminianism, on the other hand, teaches that God’s election is based on foreseen faith, in which case it’s up to us to accept God’s grace or reject it.

[Author’s Note: Personally, I generally lean more towards Arminianism, but try to stay somewhere in the middle on this one.]

Either way you look at it, it’s not an essential of the faith and there are Bible verses to back up both views. On one hand I can understand the Calvinist view since if your heart is hardened against God, it often takes a work of the Spirit to soften it so you can accept Christ. At the same time, however, I also can understand the Arminian perspective that God’s election is based on foreseen faith. Ultimately, though, there’s a great level of mystery to it that we’re likely not going to totally understand in life, but it’s better than the alternative that atheism provides.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Debunking Deconstruction – Is Free Will a Thing?

As I mentioned last week, I got into a debate with an atheist in my comments section who said that free will can’t exist if God knows everything. He believes that if God knows everything, then we can’t actually choose anything for ourselves, and He is ultimately the one causing people to be sent to Hell. This can be a sketchy topic since answering this question can easily send a person into the theological weeds, but here’s my take.

Ultimately, the answer to this question is that knowing doesn’t equal causing. It is true that throughout the Bible, there are plenty of passages about God knowing what will happen. Take, for instance, Isaiah 46:9-10, where it says:

9Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’

However, there are also a myriad of passages which talk about human responsibility. One example is in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, which says:

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

From this, we can see that while the Bible says God knows everything that will ever happen, it also says that we have a choice between God’s way and our way. Rather than being contradictory, this is more complementary. As an illustration of how this works, imagine that you have a friend who’s wildly predictable. Even when presented with numerous other choices, you know that they’ll go for the same one every time. They’ll pick chocolate over vanilla or strawberry. They always pick plain T-shirts over graphic Tees. They always wear Converse even if Doc Martins are the better choice. You get the picture.

You knowing what they’re going to pick doesn’t mean that you’re causing them to pick that thing. They could still pick any of the other options, they just don’t.

It’s kind-of like that with God. Though He knows everything we’re going to do, He gives us a myriad of opportunities and chances to pick a new path. If you’re a non-Christian, He gives you chance after chance to turn towards Him. If you’re a Christian, He gives you opportunities to obey Him.

Further, not allowing free will isn’t something that’s in line with God’s character. God is all-loving. If He didn’t give us free will, He couldn’t be all-loving because for love to exist, freedom of choice must exist. If Adam and Eve hadn’t been given the option to eat of the tree of good and evil, they could never have had a true relationship with God.

Now, at this point the question of predestination pops up, since the Bible also emphasizes predestination a lot as well. This one has led to a huge debate, with the two major sides being Calvinism and Arminianism. Some Calvinists are more extreme than others on this question, but the overall view on that end is that God’s grace irresistibly draws in those who have been elected by God to be saved. Calvinists teach that we aren’t completely free and can’t really choose God in our sinful state unless we’ve been chosen by Him and regenerated to follow Him. Arminianism, on the other hand, teaches that God’s election is based on foreseen faith, in which case it’s up to us to accept God’s grace or reject it.

[Author’s Note: Personally, I generally lean more towards Arminianism, but try to stay somewhere in the middle on this one.]

Either way you look at it, it’s not an essential of the faith and there are Bible verses to back up both views. On one hand I can understand the Calvinist view since if your heart is hardened against God, it often takes a work of the Spirit to soften it so you can accept Christ. At the same time, however, I also can understand the Arminian perspective that God’s election is based on foreseen faith. Ultimately, though, there’s a great level of mystery to it that we’re likely not going to totally understand in life, but it’s better than the alternative that atheism provides.

Until next time,

M.J.

🧠 #Matter vs. #Mind: In what worlds does our #brain live? 🌐

Today, #neuroscientists face a fascinating and, at the same time, profound #dilemma.

Share your thoughts with us in the comments! 👇

https://philosophies.de/index.php/2022/03/22/kann-das-gehirn-das-gehirn-verstehen/

You can find this exciting interview at:

👉 https://youtu.be/C2FVIbAyaH4

#Brain #BrainResearch #Consciousness #Philosophy #WolfSinger #Zoomposium #Qualia #Neuroscience #FreeWill #Cognition #MindAndBrain #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Epistemology

🧠 #Matter vs. #Mind: In what worlds does our #brain live? 🌐

Today, #neuroscientists face a fascinating and, at the same time, profound #dilemma.

Share your thoughts with us in the comments! 👇

https://philosophies.de/index.php/2022/03/22/kann-das-gehirn-das-gehirn-verstehen/

You can find this exciting interview at:

👉 https://youtu.be/C2FVIbAyaH4

#Brain #BrainResearch #Consciousness #Philosophy #WolfSinger #Zoomposium #Qualia #Neuroscience #FreeWill #Cognition #MindAndBrain #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Epistemology

🧠 #Matter vs. #Mind: In what worlds does our #brain live? 🌐

Today, #neuroscientists face a fascinating and, at the same time, profound #dilemma.

Share your thoughts with us in the comments! 👇

https://philosophies.de/index.php/2022/03/22/kann-das-gehirn-das-gehirn-verstehen/

You can find this exciting interview at:

👉 https://youtu.be/C2FVIbAyaH4

#Brain #BrainResearch #Consciousness #Philosophy #WolfSinger #Zoomposium #Qualia #Neuroscience #FreeWill #Cognition #MindAndBrain #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Epistemology

🧠 #Matter vs. #Mind: In what worlds does our #brain live? 🌐

Today, #neuroscientists face a fascinating and, at the same time, profound #dilemma.

Share your thoughts with us in the comments! 👇

https://philosophies.de/index.php/2022/03/22/kann-das-gehirn-das-gehirn-verstehen/

You can find this exciting interview at:

👉 https://youtu.be/C2FVIbAyaH4

#Brain #BrainResearch #Consciousness #Philosophy #WolfSinger #Zoomposium #Qualia #Neuroscience #FreeWill #Cognition #MindAndBrain #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Epistemology

🧠 #Matter vs. #Mind: In what worlds does our #brain live? 🌐

Today, #neuroscientists face a fascinating and, at the same time, profound #dilemma.

Share your thoughts with us in the comments! 👇

https://philosophies.de/index.php/2022/03/22/kann-das-gehirn-das-gehirn-verstehen/

You can find this exciting interview at:

👉 https://youtu.be/C2FVIbAyaH4

#Brain #BrainResearch #Consciousness #Philosophy #WolfSinger #Zoomposium #Qualia #Neuroscience #FreeWill #Cognition #MindAndBrain #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Epistemology

🧠 Is human #consciousness a magical #mystery—or simply a hard-hitting success story of #evolution? 🧬

In this new #podcast, we put on our evolutionary glasses and take a closer look at #materialisticmonism!

👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BfpZKFyHwl4LEkTMVme8w?si=RptWM_aMQFq2THiK7k632A

#Monism #Materialism #Philosophy #Dualism #MindAndBrain #ChristianBührig #Evolution #Neuroscience #PredictiveProcessing #Dreams #FreeWill #ArtificialConsciousness #PhilosophyPodcast #KnowledgePodcast

🧠 Is human #consciousness a magical #mystery—or simply a hard-hitting success story of #evolution? 🧬

In this new #podcast, we put on our evolutionary glasses and take a closer look at #materialisticmonism!

👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BfpZKFyHwl4LEkTMVme8w?si=RptWM_aMQFq2THiK7k632A

#Monism #Materialism #Philosophy #Dualism #MindAndBrain #ChristianBührig #Evolution #Neuroscience #PredictiveProcessing #Dreams #FreeWill #ArtificialConsciousness #PhilosophyPodcast #KnowledgePodcast

🧠 Is human #consciousness a magical #mystery—or simply a hard-hitting success story of #evolution? 🧬

In this new #podcast, we put on our evolutionary glasses and take a closer look at #materialisticmonism!

👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BfpZKFyHwl4LEkTMVme8w?si=RptWM_aMQFq2THiK7k632A

#Monism #Materialism #Philosophy #Dualism #MindAndBrain #ChristianBührig #Evolution #Neuroscience #PredictiveProcessing #Dreams #FreeWill #ArtificialConsciousness #PhilosophyPodcast #KnowledgePodcast

🧠 Is human #consciousness a magical #mystery—or simply a hard-hitting success story of #evolution? 🧬

In this new #podcast, we put on our evolutionary glasses and take a closer look at #materialisticmonism!

👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BfpZKFyHwl4LEkTMVme8w?si=RptWM_aMQFq2THiK7k632A

#Monism #Materialism #Philosophy #Dualism #MindAndBrain #ChristianBührig #Evolution #Neuroscience #PredictiveProcessing #Dreams #FreeWill #ArtificialConsciousness #PhilosophyPodcast #KnowledgePodcast

🧠 Is human #consciousness a magical #mystery—or simply a hard-hitting success story of #evolution? 🧬

In this new #podcast, we put on our evolutionary glasses and take a closer look at #materialisticmonism!

👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BfpZKFyHwl4LEkTMVme8w?si=RptWM_aMQFq2THiK7k632A

#Monism #Materialism #Philosophy #Dualism #MindAndBrain #ChristianBührig #Evolution #Neuroscience #PredictiveProcessing #Dreams #FreeWill #ArtificialConsciousness #PhilosophyPodcast #KnowledgePodcast

Apologetics: Atheism Confuses Me – Is Free Will a Thing?

Continuing our discussion about free will, one of the strangest things about atheism is how much atheists brag about how much freedom they have. Without God, they have total free will and can run around doing absolutely anything they want! They have no one to hold them accountable, unless someone with more guns comes in and demands they act a certain way (i.e. the government), but you know…technicalities.

However, despite this seeming lack of responsibility to any higher power, atheists seem to forget one critical point – atheism can’t support the existence of free will.

Atheists, before you get angry at me and start commenting, hear me out on this.

According to atheism, since God doesn’t exist, everything exists by way of random chance. The universe, the earth, the plants, animals, and yourself are all the result of accidental chemical reactions that continue to this day. That means that you as a person are a conglomeration of a bunch of atoms bumping into each other, forming molecules and creating chemicals that react with each other, doing different things, including fueling your conciousness.

This is where the free will thing starts to come into play. Scientists still don’t understand human consciousness. The closest thing they can get to understanding it is by mapping your brain’s activity, seeing what parts of the brain release what, etc. What actually causes consciousness, though, is still a mystery. It’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario depending on who you ask and what you’re talking about. For example, if someone’s depressed, are they depressed because of a legit neurological or chemical issue that was already there, or is it caused by them thinking about things a certain way that’s causing their brains to act accordingly? Is it a mix of both? Scientists still aren’t quite sure.

I say this is where the free will thing comes in because according to atheism’s worldview, since everything is matter and is the result of matter running into each other and reacting, then that means everything you do is the result of those chemical reactions. Because of that, you can’t actually decide to do anything. You can’t control what the cells that make up your brain do any more than I can control the weather. And if you can’t control that, then ultimately, you can’t have free will, because free will requires some degree of control.

So, what does that mean? If we can’t have free will because everything we do is a chemical reaction, where does that leave us?

The moral dilemma posed by this aside, the existence of free will is something that can only exist if humans have a soul, if humans aren’t just made up of matter alone. Once we acknowledge that we have a soul, then we must wonder who created that soul? After all, a soul can’t be made of matter or anything measurable. It’s supernatural and points to the existence of the supernatural, which should then make you wonder which God or gods has created that soul.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Atheism Confuses Me – Is Free Will a Thing?

Continuing our discussion about free will, one of the strangest things about atheism is how much atheists brag about how much freedom they have. Without God, they have total free will and can run around doing absolutely anything they want! They have no one to hold them accountable, unless someone with more guns comes in and demands they act a certain way (i.e. the government), but you know…technicalities.

However, despite this seeming lack of responsibility to any higher power, atheists seem to forget one critical point – atheism can’t support the existence of free will.

Atheists, before you get angry at me and start commenting, hear me out on this.

According to atheism, since God doesn’t exist, everything exists by way of random chance. The universe, the earth, the plants, animals, and yourself are all the result of accidental chemical reactions that continue to this day. That means that you as a person are a conglomeration of a bunch of atoms bumping into each other, forming molecules and creating chemicals that react with each other, doing different things, including fueling your conciousness.

This is where the free will thing starts to come into play. Scientists still don’t understand human consciousness. The closest thing they can get to understanding it is by mapping your brain’s activity, seeing what parts of the brain release what, etc. What actually causes consciousness, though, is still a mystery. It’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario depending on who you ask and what you’re talking about. For example, if someone’s depressed, are they depressed because of a legit neurological or chemical issue that was already there, or is it caused by them thinking about things a certain way that’s causing their brains to act accordingly? Is it a mix of both? Scientists still aren’t quite sure.

I say this is where the free will thing comes in because according to atheism’s worldview, since everything is matter and is the result of matter running into each other and reacting, then that means everything you do is the result of those chemical reactions. Because of that, you can’t actually decide to do anything. You can’t control what the cells that make up your brain do any more than I can control the weather. And if you can’t control that, then ultimately, you can’t have free will, because free will requires some degree of control.

So, what does that mean? If we can’t have free will because everything we do is a chemical reaction, where does that leave us?

The moral dilemma posed by this aside, the existence of free will is something that can only exist if humans have a soul, if humans aren’t just made up of matter alone. Once we acknowledge that we have a soul, then we must wonder who created that soul? After all, a soul can’t be made of matter or anything measurable. It’s supernatural and points to the existence of the supernatural, which should then make you wonder which God or gods has created that soul.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Atheism Confuses Me – Is Free Will a Thing?

Continuing our discussion about free will, one of the strangest things about atheism is how much atheists brag about how much freedom they have. Without God, they have total free will and can run around doing absolutely anything they want! They have no one to hold them accountable, unless someone with more guns comes in and demands they act a certain way (i.e. the government), but you know…technicalities.

However, despite this seeming lack of responsibility to any higher power, atheists seem to forget one critical point – atheism can’t support the existence of free will.

Atheists, before you get angry at me and start commenting, hear me out on this.

According to atheism, since God doesn’t exist, everything exists by way of random chance. The universe, the earth, the plants, animals, and yourself are all the result of accidental chemical reactions that continue to this day. That means that you as a person are a conglomeration of a bunch of atoms bumping into each other, forming molecules and creating chemicals that react with each other, doing different things, including fueling your conciousness.

This is where the free will thing starts to come into play. Scientists still don’t understand human consciousness. The closest thing they can get to understanding it is by mapping your brain’s activity, seeing what parts of the brain release what, etc. What actually causes consciousness, though, is still a mystery. It’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario depending on who you ask and what you’re talking about. For example, if someone’s depressed, are they depressed because of a legit neurological or chemical issue that was already there, or is it caused by them thinking about things a certain way that’s causing their brains to act accordingly? Is it a mix of both? Scientists still aren’t quite sure.

I say this is where the free will thing comes in because according to atheism’s worldview, since everything is matter and is the result of matter running into each other and reacting, then that means everything you do is the result of those chemical reactions. Because of that, you can’t actually decide to do anything. You can’t control what the cells that make up your brain do any more than I can control the weather. And if you can’t control that, then ultimately, you can’t have free will, because free will requires some degree of control.

So, what does that mean? If we can’t have free will because everything we do is a chemical reaction, where does that leave us?

The moral dilemma posed by this aside, the existence of free will is something that can only exist if humans have a soul, if humans aren’t just made up of matter alone. Once we acknowledge that we have a soul, then we must wonder who created that soul? After all, a soul can’t be made of matter or anything measurable. It’s supernatural and points to the existence of the supernatural, which should then make you wonder which God or gods has created that soul.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Atheism Confuses Me – Is Free Will a Thing?

Continuing our discussion about free will, one of the strangest things about atheism is how much atheists brag about how much freedom they have. Without God, they have total free will and can run around doing absolutely anything they want! They have no one to hold them accountable, unless someone with more guns comes in and demands they act a certain way (i.e. the government), but you know…technicalities.

However, despite this seeming lack of responsibility to any higher power, atheists seem to forget one critical point – atheism can’t support the existence of free will.

Atheists, before you get angry at me and start commenting, hear me out on this.

According to atheism, since God doesn’t exist, everything exists by way of random chance. The universe, the earth, the plants, animals, and yourself are all the result of accidental chemical reactions that continue to this day. That means that you as a person are a conglomeration of a bunch of atoms bumping into each other, forming molecules and creating chemicals that react with each other, doing different things, including fueling your conciousness.

This is where the free will thing starts to come into play. Scientists still don’t understand human consciousness. The closest thing they can get to understanding it is by mapping your brain’s activity, seeing what parts of the brain release what, etc. What actually causes consciousness, though, is still a mystery. It’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario depending on who you ask and what you’re talking about. For example, if someone’s depressed, are they depressed because of a legit neurological or chemical issue that was already there, or is it caused by them thinking about things a certain way that’s causing their brains to act accordingly? Is it a mix of both? Scientists still aren’t quite sure.

I say this is where the free will thing comes in because according to atheism’s worldview, since everything is matter and is the result of matter running into each other and reacting, then that means everything you do is the result of those chemical reactions. Because of that, you can’t actually decide to do anything. You can’t control what the cells that make up your brain do any more than I can control the weather. And if you can’t control that, then ultimately, you can’t have free will, because free will requires some degree of control.

So, what does that mean? If we can’t have free will because everything we do is a chemical reaction, where does that leave us?

The moral dilemma posed by this aside, the existence of free will is something that can only exist if humans have a soul, if humans aren’t just made up of matter alone. Once we acknowledge that we have a soul, then we must wonder who created that soul? After all, a soul can’t be made of matter or anything measurable. It’s supernatural and points to the existence of the supernatural, which should then make you wonder which God or gods has created that soul.

Until next time,

M.J.

Apologetics: Atheism Confuses Me – Is Free Will a Thing?

Continuing our discussion about free will, one of the strangest things about atheism is how much atheists brag about how much freedom they have. Without God, they have total free will and can run around doing absolutely anything they want! They have no one to hold them accountable, unless someone with more guns comes in and demands they act a certain way (i.e. the government), but you know…technicalities.

However, despite this seeming lack of responsibility to any higher power, atheists seem to forget one critical point – atheism can’t support the existence of free will.

Atheists, before you get angry at me and start commenting, hear me out on this.

According to atheism, since God doesn’t exist, everything exists by way of random chance. The universe, the earth, the plants, animals, and yourself are all the result of accidental chemical reactions that continue to this day. That means that you as a person are a conglomeration of a bunch of atoms bumping into each other, forming molecules and creating chemicals that react with each other, doing different things, including fueling your conciousness.

This is where the free will thing starts to come into play. Scientists still don’t understand human consciousness. The closest thing they can get to understanding it is by mapping your brain’s activity, seeing what parts of the brain release what, etc. What actually causes consciousness, though, is still a mystery. It’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario depending on who you ask and what you’re talking about. For example, if someone’s depressed, are they depressed because of a legit neurological or chemical issue that was already there, or is it caused by them thinking about things a certain way that’s causing their brains to act accordingly? Is it a mix of both? Scientists still aren’t quite sure.

I say this is where the free will thing comes in because according to atheism’s worldview, since everything is matter and is the result of matter running into each other and reacting, then that means everything you do is the result of those chemical reactions. Because of that, you can’t actually decide to do anything. You can’t control what the cells that make up your brain do any more than I can control the weather. And if you can’t control that, then ultimately, you can’t have free will, because free will requires some degree of control.

So, what does that mean? If we can’t have free will because everything we do is a chemical reaction, where does that leave us?

The moral dilemma posed by this aside, the existence of free will is something that can only exist if humans have a soul, if humans aren’t just made up of matter alone. Once we acknowledge that we have a soul, then we must wonder who created that soul? After all, a soul can’t be made of matter or anything measurable. It’s supernatural and points to the existence of the supernatural, which should then make you wonder which God or gods has created that soul.

Until next time,

M.J.

About the Author on the Back Cover of my Latest Book “Advaita Vedanta through Name-and-Form Analysis”

No, I am serious in talking about myself that way in the philosophical and spiritual sense.

About the Book

One principle. Pursued without flinching. The whole of Advaita Vedanta unfolds.

The Upanishads teach it through a single homely image: the clay pot. The pot is entirely clay — the name “pot” and the rounded shape are cognitive overlays, not new substances. Strip them away and only clay remains. There never was a pot-substance apart from clay.

This is name-and-form analysis (nāma-rūpa vicāra), and this book makes an audacious claim: this one analytical tool, applied with complete rigor, generates the entire edifice of Advaita Vedanta — its metaphysics, its psychology, its doctrine of liberation, and its practical consequences for how a life is lived.

What the analysis reveals, step by step:

Everything is Consciousness. Body, mind, world — traced to their ultimate ground, all are names-and-forms whose sole substance is pure Consciousness, exactly as every clay vessel is only clay in different shapes.

The ego is not the doer. A name-and-form has no agency independent of its substrate. The pot does nothing that clay is not doing. The ego’s claim to authorship of actions is the pot claiming it shaped itself.

The world was never created. Pushed to its extreme, the analysis arrives at Gaudapada’s ajāta vāda — the doctrine of non-origination, Advaita’s highest and most startling teaching: no creation, no bondage, no liberation, no seeker. Only Consciousness, ever unmodified.

Happiness is your own nature. A meticulous dissection of desire and its satisfaction shows that no object ever contained the happiness attributed to it. The world is a mirror of your own bliss, never its source.

Along the way, the book shows how every central doctrine of Advaita — Brahman, Ātman, māyā, avidyā, the jīva, Īśvara, the three states, neti neti, sat-cit-ānanda, mokṣa itself — is simply name-and-form analysis applied to a different domain. What looks like a sprawling philosophical system turns out to be one insight, endlessly restated.

The exposition is grounded throughout in the classical sources — the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, the Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, the Bhagavad Gītā — and in the living testimony of three modern masters: Ramana Maharshi’s self-enquiry, Nisargadatta Maharaj’s radical pointing, and Ramakrishna Paramahansa’s instrument model of the body-mind. Comparative sidelights from Buddhism, Stoicism, and Taoism confirm the analysis from outside the tradition.

Written by a long-term practitioner in the Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj traditions with the help of explanations by Claude, this book is neither a survey nor a devotional tract. It is a sustained demonstration — patient, logical, and uncompromising — that the deepest truth of Vedanta is also its simplest.

The clay alone is. The pot was always only clay. Brahman alone is. And you are That — not as a future achievement, but as present fact, obscured only by an unexamined name and form.

For seekers who suspect that beneath Vedanta’s vast literature lies a single key, this book places that key in your hand.

Do I have the #FreeWill to choose to lower my #greenhouse gas #emissions? Who should we look to as we try to lower our greenhouse gas emissions 40 years after Carl Sagan explained #climatechange to the US Senate?
https://www.co2mmit.org/p/free-will-and-climate-action

Do I have the #FreeWill to choose to lower my #greenhouse gas #emissions? Who should we look to as we try to lower our greenhouse gas emissions 40 years after Carl Sagan explained #climatechange to the US Senate?
https://www.co2mmit.org/p/free-will-and-climate-action

Do I have the #FreeWill to choose to lower my #greenhouse gas #emissions? Who should we look to as we try to lower our greenhouse gas emissions 40 years after Carl Sagan explained #climatechange to the US Senate?
https://www.co2mmit.org/p/free-will-and-climate-action

Do I have the #FreeWill to choose to lower my #greenhouse gas #emissions? Who should we look to as we try to lower our greenhouse gas emissions 40 years after Carl Sagan explained #climatechange to the US Senate?
https://www.co2mmit.org/p/free-will-and-climate-action

Do I have the #FreeWill to choose to lower my #greenhouse gas #emissions? Who should we look to as we try to lower our greenhouse gas emissions 40 years after Carl Sagan explained #climatechange to the US Senate?
https://www.co2mmit.org/p/free-will-and-climate-action

Your Thoughts Are Not Yours (And You Don’t Even Know It)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgA5Av70yM

Your Thoughts Are Not Yours (And You Don’t Even Know It)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgA5Av70yM

Your Thoughts Are Not Yours (And You Don’t Even Know It)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgA5Av70yM

Your Thoughts Are Not Yours (And You Don’t Even Know It)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgA5Av70yM

Your Thoughts Are Not Yours (And You Don’t Even Know It)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgA5Av70yM

Is Everything Predestined?

https://youtu.be/Q6TbUTTS-ZY?si=MHFUfMitdXSZYNhz

Don’t Worry About the Future — It is Already Fixed

Here is the email I wrote to my younger sister Kavitha just now, who is travelling with her family in a few hours from now back to the US where she lives, and she is sort of worried how she will know how I am doing on a day-to-day basis since I have said I will be Summa Iru and not be interacting with anyone over phone nor opening my door to anyone and I have already dismissed the services of my maid-cum-cook, so basically no contact with anyone, and hence her worry…read what I wrote to her over email and what I wrote might also help you also deal with your own future anxieties and worries:

Kav,

Do NOT worry about how I am doing even if I do not text you as you wanted me to do and as I promised I would do everyday

and I WILL text You and Jyo and Sac if I am in any difficulty.

Read the below quote and its explanation by Claude and ChatGPT in my Blog at the link given below 

and you will understand why there is NO NEED to worry about a future that is already FIXED INALTERABLY 

IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT ANYONE IN THIS WORLD DOES OR DOES NOT DO 

ALTHOUGH THE DOING WILL HAPPEN AS IT IS DESTINED TO HAPPEN

(now, do not do tarka vadam that your worrying is also predetermined and to a certain extent indeed it is but reading this email and my blog post whose link I have given below will eliminate that worry through correct understanding that you will get if that is how it is destined, otherwise despite reading this you will UNNECESSARILY continue to worry but I will NOT be worrying that you are worrying since I understand everything is predtermined and so I know that you will worry as much as you are predestined tow rry and I have no control over such a destiny if that be the case BUT I am doing my bit by trying to end such worrying in you through the emssage of this email but the results of such an action by me are NOT in my control as Kirshna pointed out in the Gita — “Why should you bear your load on the head when you are travelling on a train? It carries you and your load whether the load is on your head or on the floor of the train. You are not lessening the burden of the train by keeping it on your head but only straining yourself unnecessarily. Similar is the sense of doership in the world by the individuals.”–Ramana Maharshi):

“The Ordainer controls the fate of souls in accordance with their past deeds. Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try how hard you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to stop it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent.” ― Sri Ramana Maharshi. 

Read Claude and ChatGPT’s Comments on this on my Blog by clicking on the link below:

https://selfrealization.blog/2026/03/24/ramana-maharshi-on-destiny/

Don’t Worry About the Future — It is Already Fixed

Here is the email I wrote to my younger sister Kavitha just now, who is travelling with her family in a few hours from now back to the US where she lives, and she is sort of worried how she will know how I am doing on a day-to-day basis since I have said I will be Summa Iru and not be interacting with anyone over phone nor opening my door to anyone and I have already dismissed the services of my maid-cum-cook, so basically no contact with anyone, and hence her worry…read what I wrote to her over email and what I wrote might also help you also deal with your own future anxieties and worries:

Kav,

Do NOT worry about how I am doing even if I do not text you as you wanted me to do and as I promised I would do everyday

and I WILL text You and Jyo and Sac if I am in any difficulty.

Read the quote below on destiny and its explanation by Claude and ChatGPT in my Blog at the link given below 

and you will understand why there is NO NEED to worry about a future that is already FIXED INALTERABLY 

IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT ANYONE IN THIS WORLD DOES OR DOES NOT DO 

ALTHOUGH THE DOING WILL HAPPEN AS IT IS DESTINED TO HAPPEN

(now, do not do tarka vadam that your worrying is also predetermined and to a certain extent indeed it is but reading this email and my blog post whose link I have given below will eliminate that worry through correct understanding that you will get if that is how it is destined, otherwise despite reading this you will UNNECESSARILY continue to worry but I will NOT be worrying that you are worrying since I understand everything is predetermined and so I know that you will worry as much as you are predestined to worry and I have no control over such a destiny if that be the case BUT I am doing my bit by trying to end such worrying in you through the message of this email but the results of such an action by me are NOT in my control as Kirshna pointed out in the Gita.

“Why should you bear your load on the head when you are travelling on a train? It carries you and your load whether the load is on your head or on the floor of the train. You are not lessening the burden of the train by keeping it on your head but only straining yourself unnecessarily. Similar is the sense of doership in the world by the individuals.”–Ramana Maharshi):

“The Ordainer controls the fate of souls in accordance with their past deeds. Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try how hard you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to stop it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent.” ― Sri Ramana Maharshi. 

Read Claude and ChatGPT’s Comments on this on my Blog by clicking on the link below:

https://selfrealization.blog/2026/03/24/ramana-maharshi-on-destiny/

Don’t Worry About the Future — It is Already Fixed

Here is the email I wrote to my younger sister Kavitha just now, who is travelling with her family in a few hours from now back to the US where she lives, and she is sort of worried how she will know how I am doing on a day-to-day basis since I have said I will be Summa Iru and not be interacting with anyone over phone nor opening my door to anyone and I have already dismissed the services of my maid-cum-cook, so basically no contact with anyone, and hence her worry…read what I wrote to her over email and what I wrote might also help you also deal with your own future anxieties and worries:

Kav,

Do NOT worry about how I am doing even if I do not text you as you wanted me to do and as I promised I would do everyday

and I WILL text You and Jyo and Sac if I am in any difficulty.

Read the below quote and its explanation by Claude and ChatGPT in my Blog at the link given below 

and you will understand why there is NO NEED to worry about a future that is already FIXED INALTERABLY 

IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT ANYONE IN THIS WORLD DOES OR DOES NOT DO 

ALTHOUGH THE DOING WILL HAPPEN AS IT IS DESTINED TO HAPPEN

(now, do not do tarka vadam that your worrying is also predetermined and to a certain extent indeed it is but reading this email and my blog post whose link I have given below will eliminate that worry through correct understanding that you will get if that is how it is destined, otherwise despite reading this you will UNNECESSARILY continue to worry but I will NOT be worrying that you are worrying since I understand everything is predtermined and so I know that you will worry as much as you are predestined tow rry and I have no control over such a destiny if that be the case BUT I am doing my bit by trying to end such worrying in you through the emssage of this email but the results of such an action by me are NOT in my control as Kirshna pointed out in the Gita — “Why should you bear your load on the head when you are travelling on a train? It carries you and your load whether the load is on your head or on the floor of the train. You are not lessening the burden of the train by keeping it on your head but only straining yourself unnecessarily. Similar is the sense of doership in the world by the individuals.”–Ramana Maharshi):

“The Ordainer controls the fate of souls in accordance with their past deeds. Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try how hard you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to stop it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent.” ― Sri Ramana Maharshi. 

Read Claude and ChatGPT’s Comments on this on my Blog by clicking on the link below:

https://selfrealization.blog/2026/03/24/ramana-maharshi-on-destiny/

Don’t Worry About the Future — It is Already Fixed

Here is the email I wrote to my younger sister Kavitha just now, who is travelling with her family in a few hours from now back to the US where she lives, and she is sort of worried how she will know how I am doing on a day-to-day basis since I have said I will be Summa Iru and not be interacting with anyone over phone nor opening my door to anyone and I have already dismissed the services of my maid-cum-cook, so basically no contact with anyone, and hence her worry…read what I wrote to her over email and what I wrote might also help you also deal with your own future anxieties and worries:

Kav,

Do NOT worry about how I am doing even if I do not text you as you wanted me to do and as I promised I would do everyday

and I WILL text You and Jyo and Sac if I am in any difficulty.

Read the below quote and its explanation by Claude and ChatGPT in my Blog at the link given below 

and you will understand why there is NO NEED to worry about a future that is already FIXED INALTERABLY 

IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT ANYONE IN THIS WORLD DOES OR DOES NOT DO 

ALTHOUGH THE DOING WILL HAPPEN AS IT IS DESTINED TO HAPPEN

(now, do not do tarka vadam that your worrying is also predetermined and to a certain extent indeed it is but reading this email and my blog post whose link I have given below will eliminate that worry through correct understanding that you will get if that is how it is destined, otherwise despite reading this you will UNNECESSARILY continue to worry but I will NOT be worrying that you are worrying since I understand everything is predtermined and so I know that you will worry as much as you are predestined tow rry and I have no control over such a destiny if that be the case BUT I am doing my bit by trying to end such worrying in you through the emssage of this email but the results of such an action by me are NOT in my control as Kirshna pointed out in the Gita — “Why should you bear your load on the head when you are travelling on a train? It carries you and your load whether the load is on your head or on the floor of the train. You are not lessening the burden of the train by keeping it on your head but only straining yourself unnecessarily. Similar is the sense of doership in the world by the individuals.”–Ramana Maharshi):

“The Ordainer controls the fate of souls in accordance with their past deeds. Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try how hard you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to stop it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent.” ― Sri Ramana Maharshi. 

Read Claude and ChatGPT’s Comments on this on my Blog by clicking on the link below:

https://selfrealization.blog/2026/03/24/ramana-maharshi-on-destiny/

Don’t Worry About the Future — It is Already Fixed

Here is the email I wrote to my younger sister Kavitha just now, who is travelling with her family in a few hours from now back to the US where she lives, and she is sort of worried how she will know how I am doing on a day-to-day basis since I have said I will be Summa Iru and not be interacting with anyone over phone nor opening my door to anyone and I have already dismissed the services of my maid-cum-cook, so basically no contact with anyone, and hence her worry…read what I wrote to her over email and what I wrote might also help you also deal with your own future anxieties and worries:

Kav,

Do NOT worry about how I am doing even if I do not text you as you wanted me to do and as I promised I would do everyday

and I WILL text You and Jyo and Sac if I am in any difficulty.

Read the below quote and its explanation by Claude and ChatGPT in my Blog at the link given below 

and you will understand why there is NO NEED to worry about a future that is already FIXED INALTERABLY 

IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT ANYONE IN THIS WORLD DOES OR DOES NOT DO 

ALTHOUGH THE DOING WILL HAPPEN AS IT IS DESTINED TO HAPPEN

(now, do not do tarka vadam that your worrying is also predetermined and to a certain extent indeed it is but reading this email and my blog post whose link I have given below will eliminate that worry through correct understanding that you will get if that is how it is destined, otherwise despite reading this you will UNNECESSARILY continue to worry but I will NOT be worrying that you are worrying since I understand everything is predtermined and so I know that you will worry as much as you are predestined tow rry and I have no control over such a destiny if that be the case BUT I am doing my bit by trying to end such worrying in you through the emssage of this email but the results of such an action by me are NOT in my control as Kirshna pointed out in the Gita — “Why should you bear your load on the head when you are travelling on a train? It carries you and your load whether the load is on your head or on the floor of the train. You are not lessening the burden of the train by keeping it on your head but only straining yourself unnecessarily. Similar is the sense of doership in the world by the individuals.”–Ramana Maharshi):

“The Ordainer controls the fate of souls in accordance with their past deeds. Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try how hard you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to stop it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent.” ― Sri Ramana Maharshi. 

Read Claude and ChatGPT’s Comments on this on my Blog by clicking on the link below:

https://selfrealization.blog/2026/03/24/ramana-maharshi-on-destiny/

"You were always going to do that" — said after I wiggled my arms to prove free will exists. She wasn't wrong. The determinism rabbit hole goes very deep from there.

https://onlys.ky/was-i-always-going-to-write-this/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=evergreen

#FreeWill #Determinism #Philosophy #ArtificialIntelligence #Futurism

"You were always going to do that" — said after I wiggled my arms to prove free will exists. She wasn't wrong. The determinism rabbit hole goes very deep from there.

https://onlys.ky/was-i-always-going-to-write-this/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=evergreen

#FreeWill #Determinism #Philosophy #ArtificialIntelligence #Futurism

"You were always going to do that" — said after I wiggled my arms to prove free will exists. She wasn't wrong. The determinism rabbit hole goes very deep from there.

https://onlys.ky/was-i-always-going-to-write-this/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=evergreen

#FreeWill #Determinism #Philosophy #ArtificialIntelligence #Futurism

"You were always going to do that" — said after I wiggled my arms to prove free will exists. She wasn't wrong. The determinism rabbit hole goes very deep from there.

https://onlys.ky/was-i-always-going-to-write-this/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=evergreen

#FreeWill #Determinism #Philosophy #ArtificialIntelligence #Futurism

"You were always going to do that" — said after I wiggled my arms to prove free will exists. She wasn't wrong. The determinism rabbit hole goes very deep from there.

https://onlys.ky/was-i-always-going-to-write-this/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=evergreen

#FreeWill #Determinism #Philosophy #ArtificialIntelligence #Futurism

The Bind We Are In

“For anything that goes wrong in our life, we cannot blame others because they are NOT the doers. And we cannot blame God either because he is just and he gives us only what we deserve. And, we cannot blame ourselves either because if others are not the doers we are also not the doers.”

A quotation from Homer

My word, how mortals take the gods to task!
All their afflictions come from us, we hear.
And what of their own failings? Greed and folly
double the suffering in the lot of man.
 
[ὢ πόποι, οἷον δή νυ θεοὺς βροτοὶ αἰτιόωνται.
ἐξ ἡμέων γάρ φασι κάκ’ ἔμμεναι· οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ
σφῇσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ὑπὲρ μόρον ἄλγε’ ἔχουσιν.]

Homer (fl. 7th-8th C. BC) Greek author
The Odyssey [Ὀδύσσεια], Book 1, l. 32ff (1.32) [Zeus] (c. 700 BC) [tr. Fitzgerald (1961)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/homer/46564/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #homer #odyssey #accountability #blame #deflection #destiny #divinepunishment #divinewill #excuse #fate #freewill #gods #justdeserts #karma #misfortune #responsibility #selfdestruction #selfinflictedwound #troubles

A quotation from Homer

My word, how mortals take the gods to task!
All their afflictions come from us, we hear.
And what of their own failings? Greed and folly
double the suffering in the lot of man.
 
[ὢ πόποι, οἷον δή νυ θεοὺς βροτοὶ αἰτιόωνται.
ἐξ ἡμέων γάρ φασι κάκ’ ἔμμεναι· οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ
σφῇσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ὑπὲρ μόρον ἄλγε’ ἔχουσιν.]

Homer (fl. 7th-8th C. BC) Greek author
The Odyssey [Ὀδύσσεια], Book 1, l. 32ff (1.32) [Zeus] (c. 700 BC) [tr. Fitzgerald (1961)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/homer/46564/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #homer #odyssey #accountability #blame #deflection #destiny #divinepunishment #divinewill #excuse #fate #freewill #gods #justdeserts #karma #misfortune #responsibility #selfdestruction #selfinflictedwound #troubles

A quotation from Homer

My word, how mortals take the gods to task!
All their afflictions come from us, we hear.
And what of their own failings? Greed and folly
double the suffering in the lot of man.
 
[ὢ πόποι, οἷον δή νυ θεοὺς βροτοὶ αἰτιόωνται.
ἐξ ἡμέων γάρ φασι κάκ’ ἔμμεναι· οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ
σφῇσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ὑπὲρ μόρον ἄλγε’ ἔχουσιν.]

Homer (fl. 7th-8th C. BC) Greek author
The Odyssey [Ὀδύσσεια], Book 1, l. 32ff (1.32) [Zeus] (c. 700 BC) [tr. Fitzgerald (1961)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/homer/46564/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #homer #odyssey #accountability #blame #deflection #destiny #divinepunishment #divinewill #excuse #fate #freewill #gods #justdeserts #karma #misfortune #responsibility #selfdestruction #selfinflictedwound #troubles

A quotation from Homer

My word, how mortals take the gods to task!
All their afflictions come from us, we hear.
And what of their own failings? Greed and folly
double the suffering in the lot of man.
 
[ὢ πόποι, οἷον δή νυ θεοὺς βροτοὶ αἰτιόωνται.
ἐξ ἡμέων γάρ φασι κάκ’ ἔμμεναι· οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ
σφῇσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ὑπὲρ μόρον ἄλγε’ ἔχουσιν.]

Homer (fl. 7th-8th C. BC) Greek author
The Odyssey [Ὀδύσσεια], Book 1, l. 32ff (1.32) [Zeus] (c. 700 BC) [tr. Fitzgerald (1961)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/homer/46564/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #homer #odyssey #accountability #blame #deflection #destiny #divinepunishment #divinewill #excuse #fate #freewill #gods #justdeserts #karma #misfortune #responsibility #selfdestruction #selfinflictedwound #troubles

@[email protected] and your public transportation are running on the merci and grace of the Chinese communist parties. wondering what might happens first time you ask the Chinese to obay human right, accept Taiwan, stop supporting Putin's war in Ukraine etc...

#eupol #depol #security #safety #dkpolitik #dkpol #nationalsecurity #nationaltreats #democracy #freedom #freewill

@[email protected] and your public transportation are running on the merci and grace of the Chinese communist parties. wondering what might happens first time you ask the Chinese to obay human right, accept Taiwan, stop supporting Putin's war in Ukraine etc...

#eupol #depol #security #safety #dkpolitik #dkpol #nationalsecurity #nationaltreats #democracy #freedom #freewill

@[email protected] and your public transportation are running on the merci and grace of the Chinese communist parties. wondering what might happens first time you ask the Chinese to obay human right, accept Taiwan, stop supporting Putin's war in Ukraine etc...

#eupol #depol #security #safety #dkpolitik #dkpol #nationalsecurity #nationaltreats #democracy #freedom #freewill

Searching for Accountability in an Unaccountable World

https://www.bobmuellerwriter.com/searching-for-accountability-in-an-unaccountable-world/

Searching for Accountability in an Unaccountable World

https://www.bobmuellerwriter.com/searching-for-accountability-in-an-unaccountable-world/

Searching for Accountability in an Unaccountable World

https://www.bobmuellerwriter.com/searching-for-accountability-in-an-unaccountable-world/

Searching for Accountability in an Unaccountable World

https://www.bobmuellerwriter.com/searching-for-accountability-in-an-unaccountable-world/

Freewill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urBpdyFCZmo

#Freewill #Rush #Music

Freewill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urBpdyFCZmo

#Freewill #Rush #Music

Freewill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urBpdyFCZmo

#Freewill #Rush #Music

...If people actually don't have free will, punishing a natural machine which couldn't be otherwise makes no sense. Harmful people should be removed from society, for society's protection, but not punished, driven into debt, etc.

#society #freedom #freewill #choice #behaviour #nature #einstein #biology #buddhism #complexsystem #complexadaptivesystem #determinism #causality #crime #punishment #prison

...If people actually don't have free will, punishing a natural machine which couldn't be otherwise makes no sense. Harmful people should be removed from society, for society's protection, but not punished, driven into debt, etc.

#society #freedom #freewill #choice #behaviour #nature #einstein #biology #buddhism #complexsystem #complexadaptivesystem #determinism #causality #crime #punishment #prison

...If people actually don't have free will, punishing a natural machine which couldn't be otherwise makes no sense. Harmful people should be removed from society, for society's protection, but not punished, driven into debt, etc.

#society #freedom #freewill #choice #behaviour #nature #einstein #biology #buddhism #complexsystem #complexadaptivesystem #determinism #causality #crime #punishment #prison