Free will has been a topic that many people have discussed and debated over throughout history. Some people acknowledge that they choose their actions and path in life, while others believe in divine decree. The good and bad results are either accepted as one’s own shortcomings or rejected by blaming others or God. This important and interesting topic has not been left out in literature. Based on Genesis, The Odyssey, and Inferno, humans were given free will, which is illustrated when they choose to sin/ disobey God and/ or not follow directions by others; thus they deserve the outcome.
Most importantly, both divine entities and some people recognize that humans were given choices in life, but still choose to do wrong. In The Odyssey, Zeus contemplates human affairs and says, "My word, how mortals take the gods to task! All their afflictions come from us, we hear. And what of their own failings? Greed and folly double the suffering in the lot of man" (Homer 422-423). Here, humans don’t want to take responsibility for their actions and blame the gods instead. Zeus, "the father of gods and men" (422), doesn’t agree. As much as the Greek gods interacted with humans on earth, humans still managed to mess things up amongst themselves.
While on his journey through the different levels of Hell, Dante learns the punishments for sinners on Earth. At first he sympathizes with the ones being punished, but then he admits that people ruin themselves. Dante compares humans who choose to sin to waves. He writes, "How is it that we choose to sin and wither? Like waves above Charybdis, each crashing apart against the one it rushes to meet" (Alighieri 715). People only hurt themselves when they know they are doing wrong. Yet they continue to do so, like waves constantly crashing against others. The end result of facing evil consequences is known, but out of habit or ignorance, people don’t want to do what they know is right.
One of the early examples in literature of humans disobeying God and having to suffer the consequences is described in "The Garden of Eden." Adam and Eve both gave into the temptation from the snake who was encouraging them to disobey God and eat fruit from the forbidden tree. It is written, When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good to eat, and that it was pleasing to the eye and tempting to contemplate, she took some and ate it. She also gave her husband some and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they discovered that they were naked… (Genesis 143). The fact that both Adam and Eve acted upon the suggestion of the snake rather than God, shows that they did this willingly. They could have easily obeyed God who wants what's best for His creations, but they didn’t. As a result, the snake was punished along with Adam and Eve for their disobedience. As for why it was discouraged to eat from the tree of knowledge in the first place, people become arrogant as they learn more and more. This is not to discourage learning, but people question and become too curious. And sometimes curiosity does kill the cat, or the brain.
Adam and Eve's choice in doing the opposite of what was told of them is similar to Odysseus's situation. In The Odyssey, many of the difficulties that Odysseus and his men faced were due to the lack of controlling their desires and heeding warnings. For example, on his journey to Hades, Odysseus was told by the blind prophet Teiresias to stay away from the Sun's flocks on the land of Thrinakia, or else he will suffer more on his journey back home (Homer 563). But Odysseus's men disobeyed orders and, as foretold, they suffered because of this. While Odysseus was asleep, his crew "performed the prayers and ritual, knifed the kine and flayed each carcass, cutting thighbones free to wrap in double folds of fat. These offerings, with strips of meat, were laid upon the fire" (Homer 590-591). As punishment, Helios asked Zeus to punish Odysseus and his men. Because people choose not to follow orders that could save them from trouble, they must learn their lesson the hard way.
As previously mentioned, Dante affirms the belief that humans were given free will. In his Inferno, Dante included a level for neutrals where individuals, who lead uncommitted lives, choosing neither good nor evil during their time on earth, are punished. In Canto III, Dante asked Virgil who the people that are crying out in pain are. Virgil replied, "This is the sorrowful state of souls unsure, whose lives earned neither honor nor bad fame. And they mingled with angels of that base sort who, neither rebellious to God nor faithful to Him, choose neither side, but kept themselves apart" (Alighieri 698-699). According to Dante, neutrals have a place within Hell and are still punished for not committing to either good or bad. He compares this to some "fallen" angels who did likewise. Whether mortal or not, the act of freedom of choice requires accountability for justice.
A look at the reverse position of obeying God and being saved also takes place in Genesis. In the example of Abraham being put to the test of sacrificing his son Isaac, one can see that he didn’t question God's request. Abraham readily went to do as God said: "Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Then he stretched out his hand and took the knife to kill his son..." (Genesis 150). Before Abraham managed to sacrifice Isaac, an angel stopped him and said he now knows that Abraham is a God-fearing man. Abraham was saved from losing his only son and sacrificed a ram found nearby instead (150-151). Abraham's example is just one on how it is possible to do what is told. As hard as it may be, there is a reason for everything. God knows what will break us and build us as people. Sometimes people do need to suffer to appreciate something or simply because they deserve the consequences. It is hard to admit and hear, but it is true. People don’t want to recognize their faults/ sins, so they are quick to blame others or God.
All in all, humans were given free will as proven by the texts above. Whether in Genesis, The Odyssey, or Inferno, readers can reason that all people have a say in their actions, good and bad. Using God as justification or making excuses for doing bad won't cut it. God didn’t force a person to do bad. People abuse and wrongly take advantage of their freedom and do things they know they shouldn’t. And there actually can be a mix of both free will and divine decree. God did give humans free will to choose between right and wrong, but He already knew what we would do in our lifetime. Even if we were to change our mind at the last minute about a situation, God already knew that because He has knowledge over everything. Whatever God wills to happen, does happen. The opposite is also true.
For the ones who do accept that they have free will, the problem then becomes not taking responsibility, especially at times when something goes wrong. This leads to suffering. Unfortunately, sometimes innocent people do suffer through harsh conditions such as natural disasters, war, etc. But that is life. The saying that life isn't easy is true. God puts everyone through trials, like Abraham (and all his prophets and messengers) to see who amongst them is obedient, patient, and remembers Him in times of hardship, seeking His help and forgiveness. Life was never meant to be easy, so people shouldn’t expect absolute good at all times. And how much intervention from God do people want anyway? If a person is in a dangerous situation like they are about to fall from a ladder, is God supposed to send down a mattress to prevent that fall? Everyone needs to recognize the responsibility that free will comes with and act accordingly if they don’t want to endure the results of their wrong actions.
Works Cited
Alighieri, Dante. "Inferno Canto III." The Bedford Boston
"Genesis." The Bedford Boston Bedford St. Martin , 2004. 143-150. Print.
Homer. "The Odyssey." The Bedford Boston Bedford St. Martin , 2004. 422-591. Print.
Very intriguing. Did you read the entire books cited above? Some are quite long...
ReplyDeleteWe had to read parts of the above works from our textbooks during the semester, but I skimmed... The 1st 2 were actually interesting!
DeleteP.S. I'm giving you a taste of some English assignments for uni. ;)