Does our proclivity to manipulation disprove free will?

If human beings have free will, do animals?

Is surrendering to a Higher Power an act of free will, or the abdication of free will?

These are some of the questions we address in this episode of The Rabbi and the Shrink.

Bullet points:

Can the paradox of free will and predestination be resolved?

Some biologists assert that we are merely products of our genetics and environments, which program us how to respond.

We have to live an examined life in order to make ourselves aware of the forces at play on us.

If our minds are lazy, why do some of  us like to think, study, and debate?

If the body is lazy, why are so many people at the gym?

The wisdom of Flip Wilson:  "The devil made me do it."

No, he didn't.

The word Satan means "adversary." We have a moral sparring partner that trains us to be stronger.

Free will takes place on the battlefront.  Struggle is the evidence that free will exists.

Mindfulness model: the daily struggle with temptation.

Awareness and discernment
The struggle to choose good
The struggle to resist evil

We need trusted advisors to give us a reality check when we ask or impose and intervention when we don't.

We have to be grateful for challenges and criticism to protect us from ethical fading.

Three steps to right action according to The Path of the Just:

In times of calm, evaluate objectively what is right and what is wrong.
In times of decision, apply our conclusions to our decision-making process.
After the fact, intuit whether our choice felt right.

Meeting emotion with logic inevitably fails.

What made the Framers different from politicians today?

Our temperament, our family, and our friends largely influence our political outlooks.  How do we avoid being slaves to circumstance?

You learn the most from those with whom you disagree.

Constructive disagreement: conservatives and liberals need each other.

The best professor I ever had.

The wisdom of Sister Rita.

Don't react, but respond -- which is the root of responsibility.

What kind of person do you want to become?

The word of the day: azimuth
A bearing from where I am to where I want to get

We need to know and see our destination, or else we'll travel in circles.