It is quite common for us to become bystanders, when someone is getting harassed. You might blame yourself for being weak or defend yourself, believing it was none of your business anyway.

How much of a choice did you have in this matter? Let’s talk about that.

There are some who would argue that the world is nothing more than a simulation. All of the input data has been assigned, the play acts out on its own and we are merely pawns in this game called life.

However, I beg to differ.

I believe that it takes a strong person to take responsibility for their actions rather than passing the blame onto someone or something else.The true essence of life is lost when we cannot shape it according to our thoughts.

If everything has already been decided, why even bother trying to aim big in life? If it’s meant to be, it’ll be. But that isn’t the how way life works, is it?

Freewill is an argument in the humanistic approach in the field of psychology. It is the key element that separates us from other beings. Humans can think logically.

Through this, we can make different choices for a given case scenario rather than a specific one that is predetermined for us. The deterministic view argues that free-will is nothing but a mere illusion that we create, since we aren’t aware of all the external factors that bind and control us.

However, even science itself hasn’t answered the question of how we got here. The behaviorist perspective of psychology, which deeply follows the deterministic view, claims that a person committing a crime had no say in it. Rather, they were motivated by a series of external causes that led to the crime.

Not to say that the idea is completely wrong, but if analyzed carefully, the individual is responsible for the crime. The judicial systems of the world, which were created after thousands of years of amendments, agree in favor of freewill.

If you commit a crime, you are responsible for the consequences. However, the concept of freewill isn’t always good and well. There are special cases where it lacks

As said earlier, freewill comes from us making logical decisions. When this ability of ours is hindered, so is our freewill.

An infant doesn’t get much say in what they want to eat, wear or live. The parent looks after the child’s needs as they seem fit.

The topic is more delicate when it comes to patients with some sort of mental illness or disorder. A person diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, cannot stop being compulsive simply through freewill.

Thus, we cannot say that the idea of freewill holds true for everyone.

Both freewill and determinism present strong arguments in their own favor. It all comes down to personal opinions in this matter.

Needless to say, I believe that I am in control of my actions and decisions. Are you?