Nerine Gregersen
(MBBCh, MSc Med (Genetic Counselling), Cert (Medical Genetics), Diplomate in Logotherapy, Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Supervision Skills training, RYT200- trained yoga teacher)
Sometimes we feel stuck. As though we are anything but free. As though we have no choice but to do the same thing day after day; the same thing as everyone else and living up to everyone else’s expectations.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
What is meant by Freedom of Will?
Freedom of Will is one of the three main tenets of Logotherapy, as explained in Introduction to Logotherapy: Our meaning and purpose in life.
We are all born with Freedom of Will
However, we misunderstand what this means. When life feels hard, or overwhelming, or we suffer, we want those times to end. We long for freedom from all that weighs us down and apparently makes us unhappy.
Viktor Frankl, the founder of logotherapy, clarified that, in fact, we are always free. Only, it’s not about freedom from, but about freedom to: freedom to choose, act, or respond, rather than expecting freedom from unpleasantness and suffering.
In his most famous book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl wrote this about his experiences in the concentration camps
“It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.”[1]
We should think in terms of “right action and right conduct”
What is required to exercise Free Will?
We exercise Free Will by making choices. Following his harrowing experiences, Frankl came to the conclusion that, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”[1]
Just as we are free to choose our attitude at any time, we are free to make other choices: about what we do and say, or don’t do or say. We make a thousand small choices every day. And every time we do we exercise the gift of Free WIll.
It may seem easier to let others choose for us. But, as Frankl emphasised, true freedom cannot exist without responsibility. More specifically, the responsibility to choose wisely. Choices have consequences, and we are accountable for each choice.
Sometimes we are accountable to others for our choices. But, primarily, we must accept the responsibility to hold ourselves accountable for our own choices.
True freedom cannot exist without responsibility
When other people make choices for us we are living their vision for our life, and eventually we come to resent them for encroaching on our ultimate freedom.
When we accept the responsibility to choose for ourselves we embrace life and contribute to it, unapologetically, thereby fully expressing the uniqueness of who we are.
Frankl liked to make the distinction between responsibility and responsibleness. We can freely and consciously respond to life in every moment from a place of inner knowing (responsibleness), and we can accept that we are accountable for our choices to outside sources like culture or society (responsibility).[2]
“Freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.” Frankl wrote, referring to the famous statue in America.[1]
Accepting the responsibility for our choices, and living authentically, can feel scary. We may not have good role models or much practice doing it, especially in a world attached to blaming, shaming, and hiding our true selves.
It is an act of vulnerability to demonstrate our truth through our choices and actions.
Leaning into the vulnerability of living responsibly unlocks the power of choice, and we live truly free.
Do we always have Choice?
We can’t always choose circumstances or experiences. Sometimes we are limited by the physical world, our bodies and our abilities. And yet we can always choose our responses and attitudes.
Every choice helps shape the course of our lives. The question is: are you choosing consciously, or are you blindly following everyone else, as though on autopilot?
To consciously make choices is meaningful
If we are aware of every choice we make, in every moment, and if every choice has meaning, we ultimately live a meaningful life.
What guides our choices?
Certainly we learn about making choices from past experiences; learning from our ‘mistakes’, if you will. But we can be more intentional about making choices. Frankl taught that our values and conscience can guide every choice.
Having a conscience and being aware that we have values is unique to humans. Currently there is little emphasis on the importance of these innately human abilities, and even less reflection about how to use them consciously to navigate life. And yet, they are the key elements to exercise free will because they help guide our choices.
Conscience is something that exists within the essence of each person. It is an intuitive inner prompting. Though it is not learned, we can become better at hearing and following it.
Our values are also an innate part of us. They define us, they guide our choices, and we can’t live without them. Sometimes our unique values align with societal values, and sometimes they don’t.
We must take the time to become clear about our unique values because everyone will face a time when they have to make a choice that is true to their values and at odds with what other people expect.
At these times we need to use our clear internal compass for guidance. Our freedom lies in choosing what is most meaningful for us in that moment, accepting the responsibility for the consequences of that choice, and then enacting that choice.
When we make choices that are not aligned with our conscience and our values, we feel a deep discomfort. Even making these less-than-meaningful choices is an exercise of free will.
We innately know what is right (and wrong) for us at any given moment.
What are the benefits of choosing consciously and living responsibly?
Feeling disappointment, frustration and resentment can be a useful reminder that we are facing a choicepoint. It is an opportunity for growth, as encapsulated by the following quote (often ascribed to Frankl, but true source unknown):
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
To choose consciously we must become clear about our personal values. This increases self-awareness. And then we must live by these values.
When our actions, our behaviours, demonstrate our values, we are living authentically and consciously. And this is empowering.
We must also practice recognising, and following, our conscience. This reconnects us with our human essence, the core of who we are.
At first it may feel awkward to look within for guidance, mainly because we are unpractised, have not been encouraged to do so and may not have seen it well modelled in the past.
But making choices guided by our values and conscience ultimately leaves us feeling grounded, empowered and that our lives are meaningful.
We honour who we uniquely are, what we uniquely contribute, and celebrate our gift of free will.
For similar articles, please see our Mental Health section.
Nerine is a qualified medical doctor, who practiced as a paediatrician and clinical geneticist, and has completed training in Logotherapy, earning the Diplomate credential from the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy (USA) in 2017. More recently she became a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator in 2019…
If you would like to learn more about Nerine, see Expert: Nerine Gregersen.
References
(1) Frankl, V.E. (2004). Man’s Search for Meaning. Random House.
(2) Graber, A.V. (2004). Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy. Method of Choice in Ecumenical Pastoral Psychology. Wyndham Hall Press.
