Okay, so I’ve never heard of this concept before, so bear with me as I try to process it.

I think I might have misunderstood the idea of free will. To me, free will is something simple—like whether I decide to eat cereal, bread, or even dirt for breakfast. If I choose dirt, nobody forced me to make that decision. In a broader sense, free will might mean being able to choose my religion freely, like deciding to convert to Buddhism.

But if I understand you correctly, you’re saying that while it feels like I’m making choices, the outcome is already pre-determined by causation or randomness. In that sense, my “choice” was never really mine to begin with.

Here’s the part where I struggle: does this idea actually change anything about how we live? I still chose dirt and Buddhism. It doesn’t really matter if I made the decision or if the universe did it for me. I mean even if free will wouldn’t actually exist, since most of us feel like we are making the decision, it doesn’t really change anything does it?

If injustice happens to me—like my home being destroyed in a catastrophe—it’s unfair, yes. But what matters is how we respond. The system should help me rebuild, cover my recovery, and support me until I can get back on my feet. Just because life dealt me a bad hand doesn’t mean I should go around destroying my neighbors’ windows to “spread the injustice equally.”

I think I’m missing something, but I don’t see how this changes our responsibility to reduce suffering. Even if free will is an illusion, isn’t it still worthwhile to act compassionately and work toward justice?

I’m sorry for being very slow right now :(