From time to time, I get drawn into the thoughts of physicists who argue against free will. Great thinkers, like Brian Greene, seem to be saying that our choices don’t have an effect because all activity in the universe is simply following a predetermined law. And that includes us.
Not wanting to contradict the likes of Brian Greene, I am ready to concede that he and his associates may be correct. I do have my own corollary to their argument. I think that I do have a choice on whether I yield to what is, what is going on. I have a choice whether I align with, decide to be part of the rhythm of the universe.
Every day, maybe every moment, I seem to have a chance to choose whether to be part of what is happening. I think I have the option to stay within the confines of my mind’s imagined world. I would rather be where the real action is.
I remember what it was like to go rafting with my family down the wild Rio Pacuare, a class 4 rapids in Costa Rica. At every turn of the river, I had a new opportunity to let go, allow the river to carry me out of control, up and down, over the rocks. In that adventure, resistance was futile. The guide pretended to have some semblance of control. It was wild, out of control. I had to choose whether to cling onto fear or let go to the joy of flowing with the river.
My days are like the Pacuare River. There is very little to hang on to, even if I want. I often reach into the future and solve problems that have yet to come up. I watch out for dangers. I “solve” so many problems, fashion so many narratives that never actually occur. This usually serves me well and gives me a template for choosing how to deal with the present when it finally arrives. Mostly it means that I spend a lot of energy that far exceeds any problem or situation that eventually occurs.
My real choice actually occurs in the moment, and is essentially about how to yield to the flow. Even if the outcome should be pre-determined, as the physicists seem to say, it is my choice whether to yield. That is for me to determine. Will I align myself or not.
The mother of a close friend has died. It is a happening totally outside of my control and experience, nothing I can effect. It might not even have a direct effect on me. However, I can choose to be part of that happening, I can choose to open myself to my friend’s grieving. I can choose to yield and align myself to her sorrow. I can absorb, even without talking with her, some of what she is grieving by yielding to the oneness that binds us.
This is for me the choice I constantly make when I decide to align myself with the rhythms of the universe, and not resist. It is reaching for the joy of harmony. It is a choice I get to make, moment after moment.