Do you have a will?

Yes. And No. I condense how we can exercise our will into three domains: control, incentive, and information. This I call the Levers of Will. You can only enforce your will in the things you can control, what you can incentivise others (or machines) to do for you, and the things you have information on how they work. Outside these boundaries, your will becomes inconsequential.

The other point is that whoever has more control over things, more capital to issue incentives, and better information about how things work, if or when they exercise their will, can override yours if it’s against theirs. This is why your will can feel ignored, erased, or irrelevant. It’s not that you don’t have a will; it’s that theirs is more resourced.

This is the same powerlessness people feel with the Universe and God. It’s not that we don’t have a will — it’s that our will is often eclipsed. It’s simple: the Universe has more control than you do. (It’s the Universe!) The Universe has better capital to incentivise people. (And this capital doesn’t have to be money. Money is not the only thing people derive pleasure, satisfaction and purpose from. It is not the only thing humans worship. In this regard, the Universe, unlike you, is disproportionately capitalised to incentivise people with what they truly desire.) Likewise, there is no argument that the Universe has better information about how things truly work. So, when the Universe exercises Its will, it might seem like we don’t have a will of our own. We do. But relative to that of the Universe, we do not.

The best focus for anyone is to expand the levers of their will. Every single day should be an opportunity to develop better control, more capital to incentivise people and machines, and better information about how things work. Every single day is an opportunity to stretch these levers. That’s how we shape our world. And, just maybe, shape the world.