The Thing Called "Free Will"

"Man may be chained outside, but is always free inside".

Every story, fact or fiction, attempts to portray its characters' inner self- their conflicts, thoughts, intentions. Why though? Would not visible actions be sufficient, without having to delve into a character?

Nope. A story without the inner self is merely a chronicle. And people do not just care about actions- they are attracted by the motives behind them. A plot without motives may be shaped intricately, but it will always be an empty husk.

A human's will is not a consequence, or deterministic. It can be moved and swayed, but it will always have a freedom that can never be vanquished. That is why a writer shouldn't focus too much on what creates motives, since that would undermine the soul's freedom.

The key in character development and epiphanies is not in the events that happen around him, but the feelings and thoughts he experiences. While this may seem as an unnecessary differentiation, since certain events usually lead to predictable emotions (death of loved one => grief), keep in mind two persons may react completely differently to the exact same event.

In essence, "man is not his environment". Not that one's surroundings have no effect. But we see children who are brought up in one way turn to the completely opposite direction, simply because of their ability to think freely (Izetbegovic, 1978, p.114). Is that not enough proof of our God-given free will?

(I wrote this article just after reading Izetbegovic's work Islam between East and West. Hence the influence and ideas from there.)