Do we have free will?  This question has stimulated the thoughts and writings of philosophers across time.  What if most people do not have free will?  If we look at free will as the ability to make a decision during a point in time that is free of the outside influence of people, events, situations, and the internal influences of unconscious structures, then we need to know that unconscious dynamics do not control us.  However, if these dynamics are unconscious, how can we be aware of their influence?  We can easily determine how external situations hold sway over us.  What if your unconscious is influencing you, and you take action from that influence of which you are not aware?  Is this action exerted from a place of free will?

 

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For example, a situation may exist in which your boss has doubts about his/her own ability to do his/her job, and that fear is projected onto you through criticism of your work.  You, in turn, carry a fear of the disapproval of your father, and this fear is projected onto your boss.  You are unconscious of this fear and of how it contributes to your relationship with your boss and how you react to situations in the workplace.  In this case, you are not acting from free will.  You are reacting to your unconscious fear.  Unconscious reactivity is not acting from free will.  At a present point of manifestation with any situation that involves your boss, you are influenced by your unconscious fear of disapproval that is triggered by your boss’s insecurities.  This is not free will.  This is being powerless with your fear of disapproval.  For instance, when your boss tells you that you are moving too slowly on a project, you may become anxious with your unconscious fear of disapproval.  You may become reactive and snap at your boss, or become passive aggressive to his guidance.

 

In order for you to act from free will, you need to be present in the moment, to be aware of your reactivity that is occurring in that moment and to move your state of consciousness into a state of acceptance of your fears that are operating behind the reactivity.  From this state of conscious presence, then, there are choices that you can enact upon the situation, based on what the situation calls for.  This is called co-creating in the moment.  This is free will.

 

There is more on this subject in the white papers resource section of web page www.melissalowe.com.