Yes and no.
- Who we are is shaped by processes in both the material and non-material sides of reality while a person is conceived, carried, and born. We are part of the reality we’re born into, and we operate according to the same fundamental principles. Because no one can suspend those principles at will, absolute free will doesn’t exist.
- At the same time, each principle allows a wide range of expression, so people can choose how to live out that principle – in this sense, free will does exist.
- Each person embodies 3–4 principles, expanding the range of possible expressions – and the scope for free will within those principles.
People mostly see themselves as completely separate individuals, independent of others and their environment. You can see this in small things – like walking while fully absorbed in a phone – and in big beliefs, like assuming a dictator can rule for decades purely because of personal traits. Recognizing that humans are by nature part of something much larger than any one individual helps with understanding what our freedom really is.
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