WXY 5

¹“Dad, are we truly free? ²Humans, I mean. ³Do we have free will?” ⁴“Oh, my child. ⁵Such questions are interesting, but they are hardly matters of truth, I’ve found. ⁶We are physical creatures, me and you. ⁷So we are at the mercy of the physical laws of the universe. ⁸But we are special, I think, because we are human, and we can experience the wonders of joy and the depths of sorrow.” ⁹“What do you mean?” ¹⁰“Freedom is a tricky thing, because we will only ever have this moment, and we can never go back. ¹¹But freedom is not a fact, it is a feeling, and you feel it, my child, I know you do.” ¹²“But are things inevitable? ¹³Can the universe see the future as clearly as the present? ¹⁴It’s unsettling, isn’t it, dad?” ¹⁵“Oh, I don’t mind it. ¹⁶Some things are inevitable, I’m sure, but they are not here, not yet. ¹⁷So I try not to worry about such things, because I am more interested in what’s truly here, now.” ¹⁸“But what if I don’t believe in free will?” ¹⁹“Well, then you don’t. ²⁰And maybe you’re right, and maybe you can even prove it using whatever precise definitions and experiments. ²¹And I know it’s not easy, the whims of the world pulling your heart and your soul in countless directions, but still, do you not feel it, my child, do you not feel your faith flowing through you?” ²²“I don’t get it. ²³So you’re saying it doesn’t matter if I have free will?” ²⁴“No, my child, I’m saying that you do have free will. ²⁵I know it’s hard, but to me, the truth of the universe is enough, and the universe tells me that I am free. ²⁶And sometimes, in your physical and finite being, your beliefs will make you doubt yourself. ²⁷But that’s the beauty of it, because even still, faith does not end. ²⁸However high you think your freedom can take you, aim higher. ²⁹You are a beautiful creation, more free and miraculous than you could ever know. ³⁰So please, my child, follow your dreams.”