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RE: Mind over Matter, Vice, and Psychic Happiness
I enjoyed your article, and as I was reading, a question came to mind:
Do you make a distinction between free will and the ignorance that leads to suffering?
I ask this question to suggest that free will is limited by the knowledge and skills required to exercise that will. In the AA program, they teach the skills of abstinence and delayed gratification. They encourage people to be of service to each other for a common goal: to not die from drinking.
Likewise, people can teach other skills for their mutual betterment. With each new skill comes a capacity to exercise greater freedom.
How about that?
I really enjoyed what you had to say here, Firehose.
To your question, I believe I do make a distinction between free will and ignorance. Even though a person can exercise their willfulness, it does not mean they will make perfect decisions. They could still act out of ignorance or impulse and potentially hurt themselves or others. In this sense, programs like AA and forms of counseling, like CBT, can really help provide a person with skills to make good decisions and exercise their volition for the greatest benefit to themselves.
Great response. You know, after I posted that comment, I had some misgivings. I wanted to probe to see if you had considered the question before, and worried that somehow I might offend. Yet, I still felt that distinction was worth raising. I think that for people who are suffering, we can be more helpful by striking a balance between free will and the capacity to respond to the demands of the environment.
I'm glad we found some common ground. Have a fine day (or evening, as the case may be).