Hi Robert, this is an immensely powerful expression of your position, which I find very moving. Have you thought of posting a link to it as a new post on 'Trick's No Free Will Facebook group? (I'm John Freestone.) I think your words would be a tremendous asset there. There are many struggling to get their heads around the NFW position, and another set who think they've got it, but hold various of those "spiritual" views about consciousness or God-The-Universe or what have you.
I think it's important (from my perspective, obviously!) that we think very carefully about certain decisions and choices, and I say we do make choices, althought the mechanism is exactly as you describe, down to prior causes I didn't choose. But that's not the same as the "dithering", or the worry, or self-recrimination, or blame, that you rightly advise we become freer of with this viewpoint.
Without meaning to denigrate David Matt's clear narrative style, I think these audiobook extracts would be even better read by your good self, since I'm sure (having watched some of your videos) you would emphasize certain words and phrases differently, you have a wonderfully rich voice, and probably nobody else can convey quite the same depth of meaning as I heard in your reading of another chapter.
I sincerely appreciate your writing, Robert, and listening to these excerpts is a great reminder of how things seem to be.Sometimes I wonder why most people find it so difficult to understand our position in life. For me, when I can truly and completely let go of the sense of personal authorship, I find it so liberating. No pride, no guilt. Just what happens as it happens.
Hi Robert, this is an immensely powerful expression of your position, which I find very moving. Have you thought of posting a link to it as a new post on 'Trick's No Free Will Facebook group? (I'm John Freestone.) I think your words would be a tremendous asset there. There are many struggling to get their heads around the NFW position, and another set who think they've got it, but hold various of those "spiritual" views about consciousness or God-The-Universe or what have you.
I think it's important (from my perspective, obviously!) that we think very carefully about certain decisions and choices, and I say we do make choices, althought the mechanism is exactly as you describe, down to prior causes I didn't choose. But that's not the same as the "dithering", or the worry, or self-recrimination, or blame, that you rightly advise we become freer of with this viewpoint.
Without meaning to denigrate David Matt's clear narrative style, I think these audiobook extracts would be even better read by your good self, since I'm sure (having watched some of your videos) you would emphasize certain words and phrases differently, you have a wonderfully rich voice, and probably nobody else can convey quite the same depth of meaning as I heard in your reading of another chapter.
I sincerely appreciate your writing, Robert, and listening to these excerpts is a great reminder of how things seem to be.Sometimes I wonder why most people find it so difficult to understand our position in life. For me, when I can truly and completely let go of the sense of personal authorship, I find it so liberating. No pride, no guilt. Just what happens as it happens.