Janthopoyism: Scripture: Does Free Will Even Exist, Bro?

Does Free Will Even Exist, Bro?

Book 4: The Bridge of Offerings | Chapter 4.8 | 30 March 2021

One of the hottest debates in the philosophy world is that of hard determinism. Advocates of the concept believe that free will does not exist, and Janthopoyism hears the argument. We, too, are yet to meet a brain liberated from its predefined grooves.

When presented with a set of options, each mind follows an identical procedure. First, it runs through its stored data related to the topic, including any genetic predispositions and every recorded experience on file. It then quickly weighs up the pros and cons to conclude the option it deems most beneficial. And when asked, the brain confidently confirms that it reached this decision independently of automated systems because the brain must feel like it has free will by very design.

Of course, this does not necessarily mean that free will does not exist, and Janthopoyism is sympathetic to both sides. However, one teaching we have repeatedly revisited is the lack of authority individuals have over their minds. For example, I can get you to think about whatever I want. Chocolate! Chocolate bunnies! Chocolate bunnies are swimming in chocolate fondue! I mean, do you even have the slightest idea of what you'll be thinking roughly five minutes from now? Doubt it.

The brain is a loose firearm, blasting every which direction. The only reason we aren't in a complete state of panic about this uncontrollable cerebral situation is because we principally identify ourselves as our mind. The electricity running throughout the brain buzzes with a flurry of wild activity, yet we believe we are the commander, for we classify this inner noise as ourselves. But if you're genuinely honest with yourself, you'll confess that you have very little say in what your brain does. If you did, you would never have a sad or anxious thought ever again. You'd be a superhuman! But you are not. You are at the mercy of this runaway train, a victim to whichever decisions it makes for you, while it mentally plays songs you dislike on repeat, or it bugs you about whether you locked the front door or not.

Be that as it may, hard determinism is unprovable. Even worse, most brains hearing of the notion for the first time will fiercely object to it, fearing a loss of identity. For these reasons, Janthopoyism is satisfied to sit on the fence once again. Our indifference is effortless because we recognise how inconsequential either result would be. What are you going to do about free will or lack thereof? Freak out? No, if you are enjoying your life, the existence of free will should not matter.

"Sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy." — Epictetus

"I think, therefore I am," René Descartes so cleverly coined, yet we reject that fancy quote. Instead, Janthopoyism stands by the much more potent "I feel, therefore I am". Your brain isn't experiencing anything. It is documenting your narrative, then making calculations by oozing chemicals inside of itself in response to whichever groove the electrical current happens upon in that moment. This biological computer is not you you. You you are the deeper observer of this journey. You are the eternal vital force that heals wounds and leaves the body after death. You are the one experiencing this show and either loving what you see or writhing in pain like you're cramping through a meat grinder.

Your Internal Universe may be pure spiritual energy, but sadly it is not in the driver's seat. Your brain still dominates the conversation and yanks the limbs in whatever direction it seems fit. The brain is sure that it's executing the correct choices because it has convinced itself of that fact. And that is why this Janthopoyism scripture has one mission: to appeal to your intellect above anything else.

Right now, you are at a crossroads. There is information right here presented to your mind. Your mental self is digesting this information while comparing it to everything that has ever happened over its lifespan. Certain words will encourage it one way. Other words will encourage another. But in the end, these pages are far less influential than the memories in your head. When you finish reading this chapter, your brain will tell you what to do or what not to do. It will make this decision to the best of its ability based on previous events it has already experienced in the past.

If you're willing to be open, humour us and consider the steps that led you to this very text in the first place. How much did it have to do with you? Someone told you to read this scripture, or it randomly fell upon your radar, and curiosity or obligation poked at your mind at that moment. So you picked it up. Like everything, a collection of outside factors that you did not control resulted in your brain weighing up the pros and cons within a situation, and here we are.

Enlightenment is nothing but a set of external stimuli meeting a precisely established brain groove and making sense. You're super fortunate if an epiphany abruptly strikes and causes your perspective to shift. But in general, it's a concerted effort on your brain's part to alter its behavioural patterns. It must convince itself that it desires to reach a higher plane, and then it will gradually change its focus. If your brain intends to find spiritual evaluation, it will eventually come fruit as a consequence of its self-guided development.

What Janthopoyism wants for you is simple. We want your brain to live in a secondary position where it serves your emotions (or intuition, gut, energy; pick the word that resonates with you). Instead of rushing across a hundred ideas a minute then flying towards its favourite option, it must decide to teach itself to stop. And in that space of awareness, it can evaluate the next move based on the emotional reaction that feels the most pleasant.

Emotions and thoughts feed into one another in a cycle. And if this cycle is not taken care of, it can roll away like a detached wheel. If you can learn to catch this rise of energy in the act, you can pause, then gently realign your brain into a zone of rational calm without leaping into any rash movements. Once there, the choices favoured will be those that best assist your Internal Universe's happiness. The more you practice syncing to this vibe, the deeper you will identify yourself as your spirit rather than your mind. And from there, you can watch your brain with great fascination as it spews through itself like a hyperactive radio. The process may suddenly amuse you, and you may begin to love your brain for what it is: a beautifully complex organ that just wants to keep you alive.

Even funnier is that the brain will be aware that you are observing it. And this realisation will usually result in a quietened, peaceful response. Because deep down, our brains know they're silly too.

Janthopoyism does not claim to be the CEO of hard determinism or anything so unverifiable. We have too much respect for your individual journey to argue such hypotheticals. But if there is a way to bypass the hard deterministic system, it lies in our proposed method. Train the brain to breathe before spitting out a memory-based solution. Persuade it to listen out for the least emotional resistance, then let go into that vibrational stream, clean from mental preprogramming.

As wonderful as that is, there are even stranger methods of erasing all free will worries, but they come with a warning! These techniques are for advanced Janthopoyism followers only! And you will require a strong stomach!

To do so, simply place unconditional faith in the Universe as divinity, a singular organism of which you are but an extension, living in an automated procedure where everything exists by holy order and mistakes do not exist. If you can grasp that mind space, then no matter what happens, you will calmly accept it as exactly what the Universe ordered. Give up control and fearlessly hand the steering wheel to the Universal Energy, allowing it to call the shots, come whatever may.

Don't make decisions with your head but flip coins. Roll dice. Seek out clues in songs and numbers. Schedule events around particular dates. Change course when the clock strikes a pattern. Hunt for hidden prods to dictate your trail until you start to find them everywhere. Rely on seemingly random suggestions to guide your every move. If you believe that the source of reality can speak to you using symbology or synchronicity, then it will.

This proposal might seem like madness on paper, but it serves another compelling purpose. Sometimes indecision may overwhelm us, and it takes a coin toss to reveal what we actually wanted by landing on the side we desired the least. If the coin tells you to do something that your guts scream against, then casually turn the copper over in your palm. You do not worship the coin. You worship the emotion. And now you see what you truly want, for the coin made it heaps clearer than before.

But whatever path you choose, please understand that the existence of free will is irrelevant. What's relevant is that you recognise a deeper self, humming inside you, forced to witness this life movie unfurl in front of you. As far as we know, you only have one of these lives, and to suffer through it is the worst brand of blasphemy that Janthopoyism can fathom. Rather, we must convince the brain to play ball and elect to serve the energy within. By prioritising your alignment with happiness, you will uncover the meaning of your existence. Your contribution to evolution will sidestep the ordinary conflicts of most humans. And you shall arrive at the end of your story filled with immense adoration and pride.

Condition your thoughts to bow down to your emotions automatically, and then your job is 100% completed. You have reached the peak of the Janthopoyism philosophy, and Books 1 - 4 could teach you nothing more.