Inspired by remarks Tanner Zagarino made in our previous episode, we wanted to explore the themes of personal responsibility and free will.
When talking about how we generate our experience of life from the inside out, this may sound like we are saying that we have control over what we experience, since it's dependent on our internal perceptions. But while it is true that our experience is created from the thinking we identify with in the moment, it's not true that we are in control of what we experience, any more than we're in control of what thoughts will pop into our mind.
Rohini had a massive insight about free will years ago at a training. She sees that all we can do is our best with the understanding that we have and since we don't have control over our understanding there is no free will. This took a huge amount of pressure off of her and gave her a deeper experience of inner freedom that brings out the best in her.
While Angus, following an Anglican upbringing, had a hard time reckoning with the idea of no free will. He was brought up to believe he needed to use his free will for good and to get into heaven. This was indoctrinated into his psyche growing up. His fear was that if people have no free will, they'll just live by their worst instincts and present their worst version of themselves.
Rohini counters this with her personal experience of being more gentle on herself, and therefore in her relationships too. When she doesn't think she needs to improve herself or be better, she is naturally kinder and more compassionate.
Angus sees how the impersonal does not contain free will, that free will is a construct and therefore just part of our conditioned thinking. He feels he still has more consciousness rungs to climb in this arena. As we all do with an infinite understanding.
This episode explores:
Angus Ross & Rohini Ross are “The Rewilders.” They love working with couples and helping them to reduce conflict and discord in their relationships. They co-facilitate a private couples' intensives retreat program that rewilds relationships back to their natural state of love. Rohini is the author of the ebook Marriage, and they are co-founders of The 29-Day Rewilding Experience and The Rewilding Community. You can also follow Angus and Rohini Ross on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To learn more about their work visit: therewilders.org. Read Rohini's latest blog.
Episode 48 features the music of RhythmPharm with Los Angeles-based composer Greg Ellis.