Free will and consciousness

[cpwm17]

23. Actually, the realization that we have no free will can lead to compassion.

Many people can be vindictive. Many among the religious believe it is just to infinitely punish, after death, those that think differently than them. That is wrong for many reasons, including the fact that our minds are made by our genetics and environment, with no room for free will.

The thoughts that arise in our conscious minds originate from an unknown place, unchosen by our conscious minds - to choose a thought would mean to already have that thought in your mind (infinite regress), which would mean you didn't just choose your thought. The thought had to have originated from somewhere. It can't be your consciousness, since that would mean your very same consciousness already had that thought in mind.

You can't have a separate consciousness (which is also you) in your mind choosing your thoughts for your consciousness. It makes no sense. Thoughts have to originate from somewhere and it can't be from consciousness. Our conscious minds aren't the authors of our conscious thoughts. Thoughts pop into our conscious minds as we think. Words flow into our conscious minds as we write.