How much "free will" do we *really* have?

[redchartreuse]

A central tenet of the LOO is that 3D beings are in possession of "free will" although, as a questioner in 2019_0330 points out, they actually refer more often to the first distortion as the "Law of Confusion" than the "Law of Free Will".

In any case, the general idea is that third density beings have been endowed with equal measures of the ability to "choose" their perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes, and that the exercise of this choosing ability is the driving force behind spiritual evolution.

This view is in stark contrast to other esoteric teachings that posit, for example, that the average human being is more like an automaton, relatively devoid of any true "free will" and that what appear to be "choices" are merely the result of unconscious programming, social conditioning, and various levels of biases and other cognitive distortions.   These teachings suggest that the will is something that needs to be developed in the aspiring seeker; that it is akin to a spiritual muscle that is strengthened in proportion that an entity actively resists their unconscious programming.  In this view, it is the resistance against this psychological inertia that causes the indwelling soul to grow and evolve.

Indeed, modern biopsychological research tends to support the second view.  It suggests that much of what a person might consider to be their "identity" is actually a mishmash of thought patterns and behaviors that have been imprinted onto them by their early caregivers, and later reinforced through various societal institutions.  Some research even suggest that up to 95% of what a typical person might consider to be expressions of identity and "free will" were actually programmed responses that were etched into our brains before reaching school age.

Modern psychological theory also suggests that these programmed thought patterns and behaviors *can* be changed, however it again takes a great deal of effort- first through bringing our unconscious attitudes and behaviors into light (thereby acknowledging that they really aren't conscious choices) and later by actively challenging and resisting our programs.  Through this ongoing, lifelong, process of self-reflection and challenging, we can actually learn to create new attitudes and behaviors, which are truly the result of our conscious choices.

And even beyond this- newer research is demonstrating that so much of what we might consider to be conscious actions- in particular our food selection and mating behaviors- are largely controlled by *microbes* living in and on our bodies.  This is at huge variance with what an average person would perhaps consider to be some of their most intimate and personal choice-making... what to eat and who to sleep with... instead suggesting that we are little more than marionettes, being pulled hither and fro by the wills of entities that we can't even see with our naked eye, or perhaps even know are present and influencing us.

To perhaps make this a little less abstract, we might consider an example of someone we know who exhibits the characteristic of capriciousness.  While to the internal perception of a capricious person, the near constant changing of their beliefs and the display of incongruent moods and inconsistent behavior patterns are often seen as an expression of free will (i.e. "I do what I want and don't answer to anybody!") And yet to a modern psychological view, these types of people are actually the least in control of themselves, and in reality are being puppeteered by forces outside their conscious awareness.  Perhaps paradoxical, but understandable, is the notion that the very people who often style themselves as having a "strong will" are the most prone to being manipulated by forces of which they are not aware, since their distorted self-view precludes admitting to themselves that they are not as fully in control of themselves as they imagine themselves to be.

I have to admit, this might be the final nail in the coffin for me in terms of this particular philosophy espoused in the Ra material.  I previously assumed that Ra (and by extension Q'uo) would know at least as much about human psychology as we do, ostensibly being millions of years ahead of us in evolution.  And yet, it would appear they understand no more or less than whatever psychological theory exists in the mind of the channel at the time of the question, and often simply parrot psychological "understandings" hailing from earth circa 1981.  Law of Confusion, indeed.

[As the reader may or may not recall, the second-to-last nail in the coffin was when I experienced near immediate and sustained relief from decades-long severe chronic pain patterns the moment I rejected the LOO trope suggesting that we choose to suffer, in order to learn how to be more loving and compassionate.]

Personally, I feel more love and compassion for others when looking through the lens of understanding that they are oftentimes not in control of their beliefs and behaviors.  Particularly when under a high degree of stress.  Taking the view that everybody is "choosing" to think and behave as they do leaves me feeling frustrated and resentful toward others.  Admittedly, I don't have the "typical" psychological makeup, but once again I have found that directly challenging, and ultimately rejecting, some of the teachings and philosophies espoused in the material has more positive results on my particular psychology, than the somewhat blind acceptance of the teachings which I embraced in the past.

To be clear, not saying that everybody would or should agree with me.  However, I thought it might be helpful to share my experiences that they might be of some service to others who have faced similar struggles with putting these philosophies into practice.