AT the heart of the question of the essence of man lies a singular, defining gift: free will. It is not merely the ability to choose between options, but the profound tool with which we shape life.
Free will grants us authorship over our perspectives, our values and ultimately, the kind of people we become.
While outcomes are often shaped by forces beyond our control, our outlook remains our own. What we deem important becomes important.
What we dismiss as trivial fades into insignificance. What we repeatedly attend to consumes us. In this sense, free will is not abstract; it is active, lived, and deeply consequential.
Life today is saturated with noise, opinions and relentless digital commentary, the exercise of free will becomes increasingly critical.
Every voice competes for authority over our thoughts and emotions. Yet the essential question remains: whose voice do we choose to heed?
Who we are is not revealed by the volume of external influence, but by the discernment with which we choose what to internalise.
To live deliberately is to recognise that attention is currency, and where it is spent determines who we become.
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It is often easier to attribute dissatisfaction to circumstances, the environment or other people. While these factors undeniably exert influence, they do not abolish autonomy.
How we respond to pain, injustice, disappointment or loss is an expression of free will. One may choose bitterness, stagnation, and resentment or one may choose growth, healing and transformation. Free will does not deny suffering; it determines whether suffering defines us.
A common misunderstanding is the belief that peaceful living requires the absence of trauma or hardship.
In truth, peace is not the absence of pain, but the refusal to surrender agency to it. We possess the will to reject what diminishes us, to seek healing, to release what no longer serves our becoming.
There is no inherent captivity in emotion, circumstance or relationship. The belief that one is permanently bound is often an abdication of choice rather than a reflection of reality.
To understand the essence of man fully, one must acknowledge the relationship between free will and his tripartite nature: body, mind and soul.
A complete human being attends to all three. Discipline is not confined to the physical, but extends to thought and spirit.
The ideas we entertain shape our perceptions and these perceptions are enacted through the body. Though time and chance may appear to favour some more than others, autonomy remains intact. The capacity to choose endures.
The spiritual dimension demands equal scrutiny. Belief should not be blind nor purpose borrowed.
Convictions must be examined, internalised and firmly rooted, for only then can they withstand adversity.
A corrupted spirit weakens the mind and renders the body directionless. Likewise, an untrained mind creates discord between intention and action. Harmony among body, mind and soul is essential for authentic self-mastery.
As this series concludes, the challenge is not merely to reflect, but to examine. How consciously are we using our free will?
Are one’s actions truly self-directed or merely reactions conditioned by fear, habit or expectation? The essence of man is not found in what happens to him, but in how he chooses repeatedly to respond, to believe and to become. As Myles Munroe aptly stated: “The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without a purpose.” Purpose is discovered and sustained through choice — and therein lies the true essence of man.
