This is a 10-minute “Deep Dive Podcast” on “The Free Will Illusion & What Would Jesus Do?”
Many of us like to believe we’re entirely in control of our actions—rational agents, freely choosing right from wrong. But what if much of what we do is governed by unseen forces—our biology, trauma, conditioning, and subconscious biases? This is the heart of the free will illusion. Our choices often arise not from a pure, autonomous self but from a brain shaped by nature and nurture, reacting within a system far more complex than we realize.
Neuroscientific research suggests that our decisions are made in the subconscious mind before we become aware of them. Brain scans have shown that activity in certain areas can predict the decision a person will make before they consciously make it, indicating that free will may be an illusion created by our conscious mind.
Does a person with any of the 300 listed disorders in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) have the Free Will to create their DSM disorder?
The most recent data from 2020 shows that approximately 50 million people in the United States were taking psychiatric drugs. This number includes various age groups and types of medications, such as antidepressants, ADHD drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers.
Additionally, in 2022, an estimated 29.5 million Americans aged 12 and older battled an alcohol use disorder.
So more than 79 million people in the United States (one-fourth of the US population) are on legally prescribed drugs or engaging in alcohol abuse.This doesn’t account for the people using illegal drugs. Do all of these people have Free Will?
So where does morality fit into this? If we’re not as free as we think, what anchors our ethics?
That’s where the simple yet profound question What would Jesus do? (WWJD) becomes transformative. It doesn’t matter if you are an atheist or an agnostic or a Christian-it is about your “higher self”!
It doesn’t rely on illusionary autonomy—it invites alignment. Rather than assuming perfect control, WWJD encourages reflection and recalibration. It asks us to pause—not to command ourselves from some idealized ego—but to tune into a deeper moral current that transcends our reactive programming.
WWJD: A Pattern of Conscious Interruptions
Let’s imagine you’re about to react out of habit, anger, or fear. Instead of unconsciously acting, the WWJD question interrupts the pattern. It engages the observer self—the part of you that can choose, even in a system where choices are often constrained.
And what does Jesus’s life teach us:
- 😓He didn’t just understand people intellectually—he felt their pain, acted with compassion, and sought to alleviate suffering. His empathy was active, not passive – he stepped out of himself into others.
- 🙏 If someone was judging others…Jesus would challenge self-righteousness. “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.
- 💰 If people were being exploited…
Jesus would confront injustice. He overturned the tables in the temple. - 😠 If provoked…
Jesus responded with dignity and restraint. He met accusations with silence or wisdom. - 💔 If someone was marginalized…
Jesus would welcome them. He dined with outcasts, uplifted the shamed, and crossed social lines. - 😓 If facing suffering…
Jesus chose love over vengeance. “Father, forgive them…” - 🧡 Jesus Prioritized Compassion Over Legalism… Jesus often challenged religious or legal systems that lacked compassion. He touched lepers, and included outcasts—demonstrating that human need outweighed rigid rules.
These are not just moral teachings. They’re interruptions to reflexive behavior—a roadmap for conscious living in a largely unconscious world.
WWJD as Moral Calibration, Not Moral Control
If free will is limited, then moral responsibility may not be about total control—but about what we aspire to align with. WWJD is less about achieving perfection and more about aiming our behavior toward:
- Empathy
- Love
- Mercy
- Courage
- Truth
- Forgiveness
- Sacrifice
- Compassion
It’s not a command. It’s a moral compass:
Final Thoughts
We may not be as free as we’d like to think. But we are free enough to ask a question that gently shifts the direction of our next moment:
What would Jesus do?
And maybe that’s the most liberating choice of all.
More: lack-of-empathy-breeds-cruelty-to-others/
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