Self Inquiry: “Who am I?” - Part III

By Chun Ko Lin

Let's keep going, but I think it's better to read the previous first and second parts, which could greatly help in understanding this material. Of course, like the previous two texts, this one also only aims to inspire readers to form their own views on the topics mentioned.

So, if we observe the daily life of every person on the planet, we can notice that a person makes many decisions throughout the day. Decisions are different at every separat moment, especially in constantly changing new conditions and circumstances of the body-mind organism and the environment.

Our cognitive and emotional mechanisms generally choose a decision based on the options available at that moment. Of course, circumstances influence the possibilities presented to us and the state of our body-mind organism also affects the range of choices.

When we're excited for any reason or stressed, our emotional and mental perception offers fewer options because, in that state, only basic super-priority options emerge. Our body-mind organism also has built-in programs that activate in cases of danger, stress, and the like.

In non-critical situations, our physical and mental mechanism has broader horizons for consideration of various options. However, despite this, our decision-making mechanism has its own individual laws and programs that determine the best choice at a given moment.

What is genetically programmed in us and which elements of life experience will influence our choices—is an immeasurable amount of information.

So, any decision we made at any moment in life was the best decision we could make at that moment.

Regardless of the depth or breadth of choices, at that moment, we weren't able to make a different decision based on the state and mechanisms of our body-mind organism, as well as external circumstances and all other influences at that moment.

This leads to the conclusion that all the good things in life that are creative and developmental, as well as all destructive actions that occur, are the result of the only possible decisions that happened in those specific moments.

Often, after such reflection, some people ask, "Does that mean that all criminals couldn't have acted differently at that moment? And if they couldn't have acted differently, does that mean they weren't able to change anything at that moment?"

If you couldn't have acted differently at that moment, then you're not responsible because everything had to unfold just like that, regardless of what you think about it afterward or today.

Some might immediately think, "Oh, so that's an excuse and permission for everyone to do whatever they want because they're not responsible for what they do." Yes, they're not responsible for what they decided or did, but they will bear all the consequences of that decision and action.

So, even if someone committed a criminal act because it was their choice at that moment in the existing circumstances, it doesn't mean they are absolved of the consequences of that decision and action. Even if they obviously couldn't have made a different decision, the consequences of that decision will inevitably be present.

One consequence may be that society defends itself against such actions and then punishes the perpetrator, even though at that moment they couldn't have known or done differently. Similarly, if one person chose to attack another person because it was their best choice at that moment, they will still face the consequences of that act. Perhaps they will bear the burden of guilt, or as an immediate consequence, experience an even stronger counter-attack, and so on.

The point is that even though we make decisions at every moment depending on our internal circumstances and external and environmental influences and thus we cannot do otherwise at that moment, we still bear all the consequences of it.

We can also consider the other side of the coin. What about all the creative, humane, artistic, scientific, or any other deeds and decisions? What is with people who discovered significant things for the improvement of human life in any field of activity? In fact, They are also only making decisions and doing only what they were capable of at any moment.

They are not responsible for all those good deeds because, at those moments, they couldn't have done anything differently. The mechanisms of choice, both internal and external, were such that they couldn't have chosen otherwise.

Great creative individuals had no influence over which family they would be born into, which city they would grow up in, and what kind of inspiring educators and teachers they would have. Similarly, they didn't create their talents or the circumstances that would support their works, or whether they would have enough energy, health, perseverance, or abilities for a particular activity. However, even though an individual is not responsible for their great positive deeds, they will still bear all the consequences of their creativity. They will be celebrated and rewarded by society or go unnoticed or even be punished, depending on the current circumstances and rules in the society and environment in which they live.