Free Will?

Billy Pilgrim accuses his Tralfamadorian captor of being a non-believer in free will. Yet, the Tralfamadorian simply replies “I’ve visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe, and I have studied reports on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.”

This free will we frivolously put our faith in, entitles us to the power of independent action and choice, but what if it’s just an illusion? What if our paths have already been meticulously carved out for us? Making us meek pawns at the exposure of the universe.

Maybe, Billy Pilgrim was always destined to become a successful optometrist, to suffer as a war prisoner, become unstuck in time, and visit the Tralfamadorian planet. Possibly, the script to his life was pre-written and he was simply an actor who preformed the play.

Which of course would also theoretically mean that as I sit here and punch out these very words on my computer keyboard, my life has already been mapped out. My dreams might come true, just as easily as they might not. However, this might not be a decision for me to make. In fact, it’s likely that I´m utterly powerless in the matter, and subjected to go wherever this predestined life may lead me.

I shudder to think this, that anything I do, say or contemplate…might not have any effect on my life whatsoever. Just pondering this possibility makes me feel drained and powerless. Like, the sickening feeling of getting the wind knocked out of you, causing your eyes to bulge in disbelief and your breath to come out in pathetic little gasps. Although I can’t neglect the possibility of free will being a disappointing fraud, I honestly hope that it does exist and that I CAN liberally set out to write my own story.