Free will accounts for our reflective belief, as human beings we are in control of most of our choices and therefore our destiny. Because of this, our thoughts are involuntary actions of impulse which allows us to be aware of what we think and thus the consequences that follow our actions. A major question that arises from this notion is what is a human beings meaning, and purpose of life. In today’s society, we live in a world where people turn to social media to inform society about their personal self. A young girl who committed suicide, because of bullying through social media, and school will in turn be the main focus of this essay. I will then explain free will and its effects on human behavior (suicide).
Freewill justifies that as humans, our choices are not planned, it means that we are self-determined, not subjected to forces outside our control. Our mind is the entirety of our mental process, which in the end does the choosing. Specifically, it is that characteristic of our mind that is aware of “self” (Brown. 2007). The focus of our decision must be made by our minds, choice to think is made by either comparatively conscious or by subliminal process (Brown. 2007). With regards to Amanda Todd a teen who committed suicide due to bullying through school as well as social media (Facebook), her life had come to a point where she could not handle the torture anymore and wanted a way out. Albert Camus once said; when one decides whether life is worth living or not, our existence is held to be ridiculous (Campus. 2002). A person considering or attempting to commit suicide usually does so out of despair, not as a result of replication on whether life is worth living or not (Campus. 2002). Not overly knowing Amanda’s situation and to have assumption may be prejudice towards her case, but persons who commit suicide usually don’t want to actually die they just want out of the present situation. I think this is what Campus is trying to portray. Having our devotion stuck on something is actually the opposite of free choice. Once observant of the choice we have chosen, we deliberately observe and control our thinking dedicating our actions accordingly (Brown. 2007). We want and need control over our lives. We grieve the penalties of our actions regardless of whether our actions are selected by freewill or by default, so it make sense to attempt the implementation of freewill, to make choices that are expected to bring us closer to adjusting our lives, to set goals and to accomplish them (Harris. 2012). When Amanda tried to seek help from those close to her and did not receive anything but negative feedback, she made the choice that brought her closer to her original goal of getting out of this situation, which took a turn towards suicide. Amplified control increases personal responsibility for our lives and actions, which is an important characteristic of what makes us human. We are creatures of a self-made emotion, in the sense we can choose to take charge of this process, to default, or to leave it up to random stimuli that take us where they desire (Harris. 2012). The implicit and explicit acknowledgment and recognition of freewill is most important factor for determining who we are, it is a division we have control over (Harris. 2012). Society and parents can inspire this, but each individual has to select the degree of utilizations of their volitional aptitude. Self-esteem that is properly internally generated carries basic obligation to the use of freewill. Bullying damages a child’s ability to see herself in a positive light. A teen whose self-esteem is damaged may start to believe what the bully says is true, and begin to self-bully with thoughts of being weak, ugly, or worthless. This may lead to self-loathing or feeling hopeless, in Amanda’s case because she was bullied through school and at home (Facebook), her self-esteem was incredibly low, which lead to suicide.