I have read a lot these days about how we cannot make choices, that we are left to ‘gods will’ or the ‘Source’, or whatever other force controls and does all the creation in the universe. Yet the very people teaching this idea go out in their daily lives and make choice after choice. They decide a thousand things a day yet deny choice.
If one is coming from a tradition, or belief system, that teaches such things, then it is just parroting others words and beliefs. On the other hand, if one really understands what the ego is and how it came about, the view will be very different. In other words, you need to see the problem clearly if you are going to see the facts in this, and every other matter.
If you think that the total thinking mind is ego, and that it has no real capacity to see or think independently, then you can come to the conclusion that there must be something else making all choices and controlling our lives. This is too dualistic. If there were such a power in control then it would have to be an evil one if you look at the results of its choices.
If you think that the only reality is beyond this world in some cosmic state of awareness where there is no individual, then you can come to the same conclusion as above; that there is a controller above and beyond what we are.
There is another way of seeing that requires no cosmic control and shows that on our day-to-day living we do have choice, but little freedom until one is awake.
It all comes down to just what the ego is, and how it came about. The ego, as has often been said in these essays, is a misunderstanding brought about by the evolution of the thinking brain. It is not the total mind, as some would have you believe. As the brain evolved we developed the capacity to abstract information. This was a powerful breakthrough for humankind. We could develop language, arts, subtle thinking, we could differentiate between the most subtle differences in all things mental. With out the development of these capacities we would not be who we are today. We could not even ask the questions we do, and would never recognize the answers.
Along with this came the problem of ego. It, the ego, sees itself as something separate from the rest of life, and it is in conflict at many levels with the seeming outside world, and within its own seeming being. The ego is a byproduct of the thinking processes. It is ideas, thoughts, images, and the concepts created by this process, etc., feeding on themselves in such a way as to create the illusion of separateness. It has no reality, yet it can reflect reality. It is a ghost within the mental processes and no more. Which means it is nothing at all. Just a misunderstanding that is being constantly reinforced by habit, and the dualistic languages we all speak that are the outcome of the ego illusion. We don’t see this because we are so close to it and totally identified with it. Ending this illusion is of the utmost importance in spiritual awakening.
Now let us look at choice again. The functional mind is not the ego. It is a process of evolution that we have to have to live on this planet. When the ego is no longer the main focus of this process, it can make intelligent choices based on the information it has. If there is not enough information, the intelligent mind will seek out more information to be able to make the right choice. The ego process cannot function with such clarity because all of its choices take into account the belief that it must come first and everything is in relationship to it. The egos insecurity will not allow for real choice. It is all based on conditioning and insecurity. Yet we do make choices, right or wrongly. And we pay the price for the choices we make.
Those who say that there is no choice, do not understand the way the ego came into, seeming, being. So they draw conclusions based on misunderstanding, which is choice. They deny choice, yet every thought they have is choice. There is no god out there controlling our thinking. In most cases, it is automatic because of conditioning. Deny it or not, most of those who claim to see reality do not see clearly. It is still coming from belief, incomplete awakening, or just promoting what they have heard or read. It can also be a copout for the ego, ”I had no choice, god made me do it.” It is still subtle dualism.
In the state of the human mind today, there is no freewill and our choices are colored by the ego. As long as we function from this distorted perspective, we will not have peace and not know real freedom. We need to see the facts clearly and we can only do that if we go beyond the ego dream. The human brain is capable of seeing beyond itself. It can awaken to real Mind where insight is the process of understanding, not conditioned thinking.
We are not puppets for god, or whatever dream you believe in, we are part of a profound creative process that goes beyond anything the conditioned mine could ever imagine. It is all within you at this very moment. Or better said, you are within It this very moment and have always been and always will be.
There are those who tell us we need to just give up and let god do it for us, we have no choice, just let go. Who lets go? It is still a choice of ego to say I will let go. The ego will not just let go. It cannot because it is automatic. If on the other hand, one uses the whole mind to simply observe, without any effort, they will start to see the ego in action; they will objectify that which objectifies everything else. But it cannot be objectified intentionally; otherwise it is still the ego objectifying itself. This is the beginning of the end of the ego nightmare. When I say observe, I do not mean to use it as a path, or practice; just be aware. Awareness is not a practice; it is our being.
The ego has no real choice, but the whole mind does. You are the whole mind, make the choice to look at what is going on without seeing it by way of the conditioned past. Toss out all the propaganda about what you should or should not do. Don’t just believe what anyone says, including me. Look for yourself, ask yourself the same questions you would a teacher but don’t look for answers from the outside. The only answers that can have any meaning are the ones your own insight brings you to. Stop being an ego wimp and look clearly at all the facts. The Truth is always within your own being. Don’t start out questioning based on any conclusions, that will not awaken your mind, it will only keep you a slave to the known.
Your awakening is very important. We must see the world needs our awakening, or we will just go on in our insanity that will lead to a very sad ending. You have an obligation to Life Itself to return to the Real. In a very real sense, your movement toward understanding is the next step in our evolution. It is not from ego alone but the giving birth to a fully human being. One that can make choices based in reality and not dreams.
