We want control over our destinies. That’s built into our DNA. But all we actually get is a limited ability to tweak our late-game strategies.
That little bit of agency afforded us by natural selection is governed by our frontal brain’s variable ability to inhibit behaviors, be patient, evaluate the options, review past experiences, form a plan, break it down, and execute its blocs in sequence over time, among other critical executive functions. We rightly love and celebrate these talents since they sometimes let us get what we want.
But it’s important not to mistake them for the ability to wrest ourselves into whatever shape we dream in whatever time frame we like. Assuming we have vastly more agency than we actually do leads to debilitating crises of self-worth and confidence in the face of what could otherwise be useful learning moments.
No one gets to choose their brain’s talents and challenges. We’re dealt the cards we’re dealt. All we can do is play them.
I’m writing a more thorough piece on the question of Free Will that I hope to get out this year. The point of the piece is to let ourselves off the hook so we can navigate life’s challenges more effectively. And joyfully.
It’s complicated and while I figure out how to better describe how we can be both empowered and blameless, I started to come at the question in other comic work. This piece is one such exploration. The flip side of blame is that we are also not exactly to credit for our successes. They are ours to celebrate, no doubt, but they are the result of mostly lucky factors way beyond our control. Ask Malcolm Gladwell.
Sure, we can work hard. But what we are doing, when all is said and done, is simply using what we happen to have to get what we want, same as every other living thing.
