Why we are, who we are.
There is no question that we are all unique, with individual strengths and weaknesses. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid may be the fundamental building block for our genetic composition but that is merely the stock for who we become. We are each a unique stew evolving from a genetic base, seasoned with relational, experiential and classroom spices, which are further blended by an un-ending allotment of choices and then generously topped off with mistakes, failures and achievements.
To complicate this recipe even further, we do very little in isolation. We may chose to walk mostly alone or as couples, in groups or crowds, where common and conflicting choices and outcomes further distinguish our unique identities. Despite all efforts to the contrary, we will learn from, influence and support or (perhaps even) destroy each other, and there-in lies the secret ingredient that differentiates us from other each other and most other species. Free will and the choices we make with it.
Thomas Paine wrote “… a Creator … is a Being whose power is equal to his will.” While we have the potential for infinite will, unless we are by choice very weak willed we won’t have the power to match our will. Limited in this way, where we can’t simply “Will” something over to our likes or dislikes, we must take another approach, to work, sort, select, prioritize and influence desired changes within our community.
Will-power is a force that can’t be measured. We can choose to judge people by their actions but those actions won’t define that person nearly as much as our acts of judgement painfully define us. We can allow ourselves to be judged or ignore that imperfect and unjust activity until the final exam. We can chose to mentor others or to be mentored but we need to understand that such mentoring is but one single ingredient in each uniquely blended life stew and the changes hoped for will only be modifications to the stock. We can isolate ourselves, however the “will” of others, through their actioned choices will eventually impact us. In other words, if a prescribed destiny already exists for us, we are definitely not in exclusive control of it. So, what is it that makes each of us different? With an infinite number of contributing variables, the primary one that makes us different down to the tiniest detail is the same one that makes us all universally the same, Free Will. Free will is a God allowed, ingredient of choice that distinguishes each of us at the end of the day. In this respect, we are what we’ve been chosen to be, students in life, with too little time for the critically important lessons we should learn. Once we accept that there is only one Being with a power equal to His will and the rest of us are His students, then progress truly begins and the answer to the most complex question on the final exam has been aced forever.
JC Calkins with Common Sense 4 Uncommon People
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