Will Power (Free Will) | The Bigger Picture

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Discussion #16 - Free Will

Of all the human abilities, this one is (by far) the most powerful & important. It's what separates us from all other living creatures, & allows us to over-ride our natural instincts (if we so choose). It's the reason why we are held morally accountable for our actions, & throw people in jail (or execute) if they break the law (regardless of drug/alcohol influence).

We have the power to make decisions, purely because we choose to, and for no other reason. We have the power to rise above any and all adversity, including being brought into the world in a bad way or circumstances. We may say that we are victims, or "the devil made me do it", but the world will not buy it. We also choose our attitudes, & how we treat each other. It's easy to see when someone is stepping on others to raise themselves up. We control our ego and level of selfishness, regardless of genetic tendencies. Will power plays a big part in creativity, allows us to come up with original thoughts & ideas, and drives our motivation. We choose whether to love or hate, be mean or friendly, do good or evil. You might say that it's our "God-like" quality, the main driving force in our soul. If we are held accountable for our actions & attitudes while alive on earth (by God), then free will is the reason why.

One of the most important roles of our God-given will power (in my humble opinion) is that of controlling (to a very large degree) our health and healthy longevity. How this is accomplished is not complicated, and lies mainly in our Endocrine system. Specifically, two groups of 20 or so neuro-chemicals. One group being known as the "stress chemicals" (adrenaline, cortisol, norepinephrine, etc.) and the other being known as the endorphin chemicals. Our natural chemistry factory (a group of glands found throughout the body (mainly in the brain)) is responsible for this production, most of which is completely automatic.

The main goal of the Endocrine system is to achieve/maintain homeostatis (we would die very quickly without it), but there are a few others. One is commonly known as the "fight-and-flight" response, one is natural pain suppression, among others. The magical thing about these two major groups of natural chemicals (hormones) is that they are highly controllable by our human will power. There are obviously external forces that are beyond our control, but many more that are completely within our control. There is a constant, never-ending battle going on in our body between these two chemical families, and this battle (in my opinion), is the holy grail of healthy longevity. This, combined with relatively frequent moderate exercise, moderate food and beverage intake, and basically moderation in general.

It is my opinion that this is where and how the mind-body connection takes place. A long period of time with the wrong chemical family being produced and secreted extensively can cause incredible damage. A long period of time encouraging the right chemical family, incredible natural healing. Both highly controllable by our magical will power.

An added wrinkle to this issue, is that there is definitely a genetic difference in our typical tendency (or capacity) to flex this God-given spiritual/biological muscle. In other words, it's quite obvious that some of us are far more "strong-willed" than others. When it's parents dealing with their children, it's typically viewed as a negative thing, but when these same children grow up and become independent adults, it generally becomes a positive. Will power is actually somewhat of a double-sided coin, the other (more negative) side being "intensity". Individuals who are genetically strong-willed will also generally come across as being more intense in personality as well. Although intensity is very different than anger, it has very similar effects on the body, and generates very similar reactions from other people.

Strong-willed people are generally not followers, but more likely to be/become leaders. The biggest challenge for many in this group is the desire to listen/learn from others. A strong-willed leader who is humble enough to listen and learn from others is generally a powerful force in this world. We all have our own personal set of ideologies about the best way to live this life. We don't generally like listening to anything that messes with these ideologies, but if we do, it makes us much stronger.

Free Will is commonly a hotly debated topic in most religious arenas. The opposing views are normally whether or not we actually have free will, or is everything predetermined and we're just running through the motions (or some form of hybrid of both). In a nutshell, it is my opinion that we are all basically animals, except for one major difference. We possess free will, and thus are held accountable for our decisions and actions, regardless of outside influences and our natural instincts.

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