Agency has led to some of the greatest good on earth. Medicine, technology, and the wealth of knowledge that blesses us every day is because someone chose to learn and act on their knowledge. The world we live in is only possible because of choice. This wonderful gift is a double edged sword, however. While many, if not most people, use their agency to choose good and try to improve their life and surroundings, others do the opposite. Throughout human history men have chosen evil and acted in ways to harm others and the world at large. This is a
terrible fact of life, and while we wish people would
choose good, this will not always be the case.
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| There are many choices before us, and we are free to choose. |
Many wonder why God allows terrible things to happen. I feel as though it is because he respects and honors agency to such a degree that he lets people choose for themselves what they will be and do. Not only this, but good and evil work together in such a way that because of each, we know the other better. By contrast of experiences, our capacity to grow increases. Our joy can increase as we have come to know sadness. While it is a nice thought to live in a world free
of calamity and sorrow, evil and hate, we gain a more true understanding of our humanity by seeing good and evil around us. By living around evil, opportunities arise for mankind to rise up and become honorable, heroic, and good. Agency is a great gift. We truly can forge our futures with it. As Pico della Mirandola said, man "...is granted to have what he chooses, to be what he wills to be." And what a beautiful thought that is.
This is can be a very hard idea to accept. Its hard to understand at times why God chooses to intervene some times and at other times to let things happen, even if the consequences are terrible. I do agree with your summation though, as agency is really the only thing that is truly the one thing that is our own and without it, life is hollow.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to choose, no matter the religious belief, is the reason that society has developed. The ability to be what one wants to be is the driving force of humanism; think about the things that one can do to with the ability to choose: the freedom of speech, the freedom of expressing our beliefs, the freedom to choose to disagree or agree or work towards a change. These are all things that drive a successful society and were individualism can thrive.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great concept, and one that a lot of people struggle with! I genuinely agree with you, and I think for God, he sees our struggles as the success. We might see trials as obstacles to our success, but really, in life the true success is how we choose to grow because of tribulation, not just in getting through them.
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