Freewill

I have always been fascinated by astrology because the subject itself is so interesting—after all, it talks about your past and your future. Every time someone made a prediction about me, I would get excited. But despite that excitement, I often struggled to understand the world around me.

Whenever I saw someone dominating another person or doing something wrong, it disturbed me deeply. I would spend hours thinking, adjusting, overthinking, and eventually draining myself without arriving at any conclusion. It felt as if I carried the responsibility of making sense of everything happening around me.

We absorb most of our understanding from what we see around us. And we see a lot—at the workplace, while shopping, while watching TV. Everywhere, we witness situations that make us question what is right and what is wrong.

But beyond observing others, we also struggle within ourselves. We are not always right, and sometimes the only way to know the truth about ourselves is to ask someone else. Just like we form impressions about others—sometimes negative ones—we too leave impressions on people, maybe even stronger than we realize.

It’s not only about good or bad actions. I often find myself struggling with whether to start something or not, even when I feel motivated. Many of us don’t realize this, but our mind has a silent connection with the universe. The universe constantly sends us ideas—ideas for personal change or ways to contribute to society. Simple things like quitting smoking, losing weight, or even sharing thoughts through a blog often feel like messages from somewhere beyond us.

But we fail. And the reasons are simple:

• we don’t spend enough time on what we want to do

• we don’t take the first step

• or we fear not achieving the expected results

One day, I was reading my horoscope, and it said I might not be able to start something I wished to start because of the current planetary positions. Suddenly I paused and thought, “Oh, so this is the reason I’m not able to begin!” These planets supposedly create certain energies that influence how I think and behave. Well, that may be true to some extent, but then I wondered—if this is true, do we really make our own decisions, or are we compelled to make decisions based on what the universe wants through planetary movements? Whenever I read or heard anything about my horoscope, I could relate it to myself, as if whatever I am has already been decided by nature and not by me.

And honestly, whenever I read my horoscope, I could relate to it so easily that I started believing that whatever I am today is decided by Nature, not me.

There is no doubt that the circumstances of our life—people, place, environment—are gifts from nature. But what about the way I think today? What about the choices I want to make now? Do I really have control?

The topic may sound confusing, but the answer is actually simple:
The real power lies in our free will.

Nature may influence our thoughts and actions to some extent, but not completely. The law of karma binds us to certain outcomes that are beyond our control. But if you learn today that you are free to do anything and that nature cannot interfere with your choices, that is also true.

If you understand that no matter how many wars are happening outside your house, no one can take away your inner peace unless you allow it—that is free will. No planetary movement can shake your energy if your energy is stronger than theirs. If a bomb falls in your neighbourhood and you still choose to remain calm, then you will remain calm. That is not astrology—that is free will.

We all stand at the centre of a long line.

• One end represents everything we want to achieve—our positive future.

• The other end represents everything negative—the darker side.

Both ends have a magnetic pull. When we move towards one side, it drags us further. Once we settle on a side for long enough, moving back becomes harder.

This applies to all our actions.

Karma plays an important role. It gives positive or negative energy, placing us somewhere on that line depending on our past actions. Imagine you borrowed money from a friend and didn’t pay it back. What kind of karma does it create? What kind of energy does it generate? Will it place you ahead on the positive side of the line? Will it push you towards the positive side?

Of course not. It moves you toward the darker side. And once you move there, similar actions follow—you accumulate negative karma and negative energy, shaping your character in the wrong direction.

But what if one day you realize this behaviour is wrong and you decide to repay the money, even if you’re struggling financially?

This is a very small example—today one country is fighting with another. Both sides will have their own justifications, their own history, their own reasons for continuing the conflict. But at the end of the day, the decision to escalate or to end the war often rests with just a few individuals sitting at the top: a president, a prime minister, a military leader, or a group of decision-makers.

Imagine that this single person, despite the pressure, despite public opinion, despite the anger, despite the political consequences, chooses to stop the war. They choose negotiation over violence, dialogue over destruction. That moment—when they decide to break the cycle instead of feeding it—that is free will.

That single decision shifts you towards the positive side. The more such actions you take, the stronger you become. Eventually, you reach a stage where no matter how much you borrow or whom you borrow from, you always repay.

That’s the power of free will.

Our free will is in our hands. If we accept today that difficult situations may break us but decide not to break, then those situations may still come — but they won’t defeat us. Instead, we’ll keep moving towards the positive side of the line, one decision at a time.