I think the present can be more appreciated by doing what you love, whether that's a hobby, learning, playing a sport, anything that you feel is worthy of your time, this helps put value in your time. I also think that we should all strive to live a life of love and good-heartedness, this may sound very cliche, but in this world of strife and suffering and conformity we should all spread a little good until were just a flicker of a life that once was. I yearn to live the lifestyle of a hippie, his may also sound very cliche, but I think a lifestyle of never preparing for the future, no worries, only living and embracing the beauty of the present is the most beautiful way to live, but for now I guess I have to live my life how others expect me to... until I get the balls to take hold of my life and live it how I feel it should be spent
From where i look out.... it would seem that we do not choose what will come our way.... We do however.... choose exactly what it is we will do with/make of that which does find us along our way.... Good... bad... Positive.. negative.... These are the was you choose to see these things.... not how they are... they are how you decide they will be... We create the world round US with our thoughts.. not every "choice" one makes is clear and conscious..... many are made without a thought... To be here now..... one need first be more aware of the ways you effect the world and others round you ... but also how you effect yourself....
you cant figure that out for yourself....you got bigger problems than i thought..... that shit is how it really is...... according to how i choose to see that shit.....
and while i run round out here creating my own universe full of whatever the fuck i want it filled with....... most(obviously not all) others are running round living in a world they have been told is there.... and since they believe what they are told......they make what they have been told is real....into their reality with the power of their thoughts(and actions...shit starts with thought...but gets no where without action) effecting everything round them.... somedays in my world....the one i keep choosing...... there are no other people nor their fucking influence..... and somedays...i seek those same other people and that same influence..... idk that i have a point beyond the fact that ...i seriously dont think most people have a clue.....and they dont want one either....
I chose to answer this thread. Yes we have free will. Sometimes it isn't about choice, it is about responsibility, and that is why free will is important. Without free will, we would succumb to our basest instincts without regard to others, or even self.
I've struggled with this notion before. I mean I still don't believe free will exists (though I don't claim that it doesn't), but if it's bothering you then know this: There are propositions and attitudes about propositions. Let's say the proposition "Free will doesn't exist" is true. It doesn't follow that you can't do what you want from this -- so long as what you want isn't anything that isn't destined to happen. I'm sure that doesn't sound all too relieving though. But if you say in the present that what you want to do is something that is not something that is destined to happen, then you are asserting that you know what the future entails. This is just plain false. Your mind says "Free will doesn't exist" and then concludes "I can't do X" because I'm not in control. False. You can't rationally claim that. Now a thought experiment: Let's say you take a drug, and it makes you feel happy all the time (and it's impossible for you to feel unhappy). Now even though free will doesn't exist, it need not matter, as you will be happy regardless. So at least this shows that one can be happy without free-will existing -- it shows that propositions and attitudes about propositions have no necessary causal relation. I don't know where I'm going with this. Put simply, when one stumbles across the idea of no free-will, the mind seems to develop some contorted ideas and biased thoughts that lead to negative thinking. I am saying that this negative thinking is not a logical entailment of free will not existing. You can live a happy life and still not believe in free will, for there's no necessary relation between propositions and attitudes about propositions. For example, you can consistently say "I am powerless and I am happy" or "I am a loser and I am happy" or "I am unsuccessful and I am happy." To say that in practice is another story -- that might take some practice. But it can be done. Any belief otherwise is an irrationality or bias of the mind.
You have free will only to the extent of your given choices/experiences. So .. no, not really. You can choose Vanilla or Chocolate, but if the 100's of other ice cream flavors aren't available to you, then your once again held hostage by the given choices. Did you even know that green tea ice cream exists?!!? IT DOES AND ITS AMAZING!! ...but if no one ever told you about it, how would you have known? .... it would never have been a part of your existence, because in your present reality, it doesn't (or didn't) exist. This can be applied to inner-city poverty stricken children vs privileged suburban wealthy children and the choices available or even known to them, also to religious vs atheist arguments, ect ect......I just wanted to use ice cream and keep it 'light' so there's not big political arguments because I don't do those anymore.