How are we brought to consciousness? Why is it we are aware, more aware than animals are, for example? As humans, we are capable of more than other creatures. We can write symphonies, win the Nobel Prize, make a difference, start a non profit, have a family, and fulfill our lives to the best of our abilities.
But who is really in control? Did you ever think that there may be a higher power setting the precedent for our lives? Did you ever think of God as being the greatest computer designer that has ever lived? Yesterday I began watching this 3 hour podcast interview done by Lex Fridman. Here he is interviewing the great, Sam Harris. Sam is a world renowned neuroscientist and philosopher.
He believes that there is no such thing as free will, or that there is an illusion of free will. We feel like we are the captain of our own ships and like our decisions affect our outomes. Sometimes they do, but not all the time. At times things happen to us that we don’t choose. Things appear. We are not always happy with what we see, hear, or experience.
This is when we should take it with a grain of salt. Meaning, don’t get caught up in emotions or stuck in frustration or anger. There is an “author of our existence.” It is God. Ultimately, he is in control. You don’t know what you’re going to think next, what you are going to attend to or your next action. Everything arises and comes to you through an electrical impulse (neurons, axons, and messages from the outside environment).
“The script could already be written,” Sam Harris says. The sense of self is not an illusion. But free will he thinks is an illusion. Your existence could be compatible with an absense of free will. Sam says that “Some evil genious in the next room could be typing in code into your existence.” Lol It may feel that way when we fall short. We get upset, throw a fit, and get caught up in our feelings.
But what Sam is teaching here is very encouraging. Sam says to not get stuck in patterns of thought that are a hindrance to your well being. We are all agents, by products of the Big Bang, or Big Event, that happened 13.8 billion years ago. It’s incredibly freeing to recognize that the mind is not entirely ruled by you. Everything is under a Cosmic Order. We are under the Laws of Physics.
We have a king, Jesus, and Holy Father, God. They are the creators of our existence. We have to remember all they’ve done for us and always come back to love. Jesus died for our sins so that we may be free and live (forever) with him. “…for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body [and mind]” (1 Cor. 6:20).
Here is the amazing podcast interview. Please watch it. It is life changing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dC_nRYIDZU
About Zina
Zina Hermez has authored the best-selling book, Not Without God: A Story of Survival. She’s been featured in numerous articles, guest posts, podcasts, websites, newsletters, and magazines. She’s recently been featured on the Intuitive Edge podcast! She’s also been on ESPN’s “Solutions from the Huddle” broadcast and on Grace and Truth Radio World! Zina’s written several hundred articles and has taught thousands of students of all ages from many different backgrounds and cultures. She’s appeared in Christianity Today, the Suite T blog, and the Southern Writers magazine among other places. She writes on faith, science, and overcoming adversity. She also writes on health and diet and loves to help others. Her latest book, Not Without God: Hope In the Storm is live and for sale! You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Not-Without-God-Hope-Storm-ebook/dp/B09P9T2DLT
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