Free Will

There is a beautiful animated film called "Finding Nemo" in which a small fish wants to travel the ocean in search of his father. He is in a fish tank and he has to escape through that amidst various perils and how he finally makes it to meet his father is the essence of the film. This film is used here to explain the meaning of the post "Free Will."

The fish tank can be considered as our destiny wherein we are confined to in this life of ours. We live in this fish tank not knowing that there is freedom outside.

The whole wide world outside the fish tank is called liberation and the one we are trying to find is our Father or God.

We are so oblivious of the world outside that we consider this life as the one which we have to live confined to that fish tank. We think there is no escape outside. First we should have knowledge that there is a world outside. Look outside the tank or outside the destiny which has enchained us. The ones who get the knowledge that there is freedom out there are very lucky. This is called the grace of God. He gives us the knowledge that there is freedom out there. Then He sends us the two most important things required to get free. The knowledge which we call as scriptures and a holy person who helps us surmount the problems of crossing over. That person is called the teacher or "Guru"!

These two in combination with our sadhana or efforts can help us escape from this fish tank! The efforts are all ours alone but the teacher is someone who cajoles and prods us continuously to get out. He makes our life miserable and is after us with an iron hand. He is not a mild mannered teacher but the one who is a disciplinarian and a tyrant.He makes us work our ass off so that we can escape from this fish tank.

Now you may ask where does the title of the essay come here.

Remember the fish tank is the destiny we are confined to. The power within us to change this destiny and escape from the fish tank is called "free will"!

We have a choice to escape or to just stay put in the fish tank.

Of course we can stay put and curse all our destiny to eternity but the ones who can escape from the clutches of destiny can meet their father and feel free in the ocean of bliss. So what have you thought of now? Want to escape from this four walls of destiny and see the world outside called Freedom? Just aim for that and persevere till you find the fish called God and the ocean called Freedom!