Monday, May 31, 2021

NO FREEWILL --EVEN FOR MAKING AN APPLE PIE


AN APPLE PIE

 

 An apple pie is a well known dessert across the world, the mere mention of which makes the mouth water. It is made from flour, sugar, butter and apple. The mixture of these ingredients is baked and then the resultant product is presented as a delicious dessert on the platter.

 

Says, Dr. Carl Sagan  (American Astronomer, Writer and Scientist, 1934-1996) “If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.”

 

The most critical words in the above two lines is ‘from scratch’. As a scientist Carl Sagan examined the process of making an apple pie more deeply. Flour is made from wheat that is grown on the soil of earth; sugar is produced from cane sugar under certain agro-climatic conditions; cows give milk and an apple is plucked from tree. The earth, its soil and water-- that is the source of moisture of all grains, food and fruits--- all are the gifts of the Nature. Other elements like fire and air are also gifted by a providential plan. Cows and trees are species of Nature that serve a definite purpose of this planet. Man, who has the intelligence of making an apple pie, is also designed by the Divine. Truly one has to create this cosmic creation if an apple pie is to be made from scratch.

 

 Man has no role in contributing to the underlying factors that make the apparent ingredients of an apple pie. His limitations are total and absolute. Carl Sagan is hinting that man of his own can do nothing. He simply acts under a given set of circumstances, has limited choices and appears to choose within the options available to him. His preferences too are governed by his parentages that carry a genetic codification and social milieu of past and present. Bible also says “the very hairs of your head are all numbered”---that the destiny has predetermined all.

 

Does it mean we have no freewill of our own? The truth is that our will is subservient to His will. We can exercise our freewill to the extent He permits us to do so as all basic conditions of life are circumscribed in the periphery of time, space, place, day, night, sun, moon, stars, air, water, fire, vegetation, conditions of body and health, social habitat, parental origin and material paraphernalia available in this world. Hazur used to say, “At human level we have a ‘conditioned freewill’. But from the higher level there is no freewill.” None except the Lord enjoys totality of freewill—called Omni will. Mystically and scientifically this is the fact.

 

  Mirdad’s cautionary advice is that “till you know the mysteries of Omniwill you must not set your will against it; for surely you shall be the loser. You will come out of each encounter scarred and drunk with gall (anger/infuriated)……”

 

Jesus said, “Thy will be done”



ECONOMIC TIMES 27TH AUGUST 2011
 

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