Become What You Are ??

?? Click on the image, grab your favorite drink and dive into the video in the newsletter for a relaxed chat with your philosophy BFF ???? Or settle in with the newsletter for a cool read. Prefer to listen on the go? Enjoy the audio podcast option below. Choose your vibe and enjoy!?

Hey there, Stephanie here, your philosophy BFF! ??

Exploring Free Will: A Philosophical Discussion Over Tacos

Yesterday evening, I had such a great discussion about free will over tacos that I wanted to talk about it today. I’d like to know what you think of the idea of "becoming the best version of ourselves". Is this something that appeals to you? What would you say that actually means? To me, it looks like it implies that we can encourage a hidden potential to flourish. But my issue with the concept is that I’m not sure what exactly is this potential we speak of. So, I’m puzzled because it looks to me like it's as if we were asking a gardener to grow a plant… without telling them whether it's a spiky cactus or a delicate orchid. And we know that what makes one person thrive might send another one spiraling into confusion. So, finding the secret sauce to unlock your so-called “potential” can be quite the puzzle. That’s why I’m skeptical about following one-size-fits-all personal development recipes. I’m feeling that it’s not the smartest move to kickstart a journey of self-discovery when we're basically just stumbling through the dark, not even sure what makes us, well, “us”?

The Common Ground of Humanity: Shared Experiences and Emotions

BUT there IS one thing we're sure of: it is that we all share something: our humanity. We were all born, we're all gonna die, and, in the meantime, we’ll all experience the rollercoaster of emotions – love, fear, desire, sadness. We're all self-aware, pondering the meaning of our existence and our place in the world. And, of course, we navigate the intricate dance of human relationships. So, MAYBE this is the common ground we can build upon.

Nietzsche’s Perspective: How to Become What We Are

Do you know the subtitle Nietzsche used for his book Ecce homo? The subtitle is: "how to become what we are." I don’t know about you, I know I love that promise! But is it something we can do much about? What do you think? Do you believe that we’re in control of our destiny, or that the dice is already cast? Thinking about our identity, who we are, how we become who we are, that’s really what fascinates me most. As your philosophy BFF, I propose you to explore how our roots and surroundings shape us, whether free will plays a role in our personal growth.

Genetics, God and Technology

So, let’s dive into the roots of our being, genetics, and how it shapes the masterpiece that is you. Have you ever wondered if your DNA is the ultimate script of your life or if you get to be co-author of your destiny? Picture this: a tiny seed, hidden beneath the soil. Will it blossom into a delicate orchid or stand tall as a resilient cactus? Until the plant grows, it’s a mystery to us, just like the future child in a mother's womb. Technology might let us know some info in advance, like the sex of the child, but we can’t predict if they'll be the quiet observer, the relentless perfectionist, or the one with an irresistible aura? The real magic lies in the depths of life's mystery. All philosophers who believe in God are convinced that what we are destined to become is in the hands of this Great Architect. But what if we don’t believe in God? Or what if God - if she or he exists - just doesn’t decide on any destiny and let beings be?

How Genetics Influence Our Life Choices

Whether we believe in God or not, we’re sure of one thing: genetics are a real powerhouse in shaping who we are. Take, for example, our ability to resist the siren call of gambling, to battle addictions, or to face the challenges of obesity, it can all be traced back to our genetic legacy. And let's be real, these inclinations can be pretty influential in our life choices and, ultimately, in shaping the very essence of who we are and how we navigate the world. It's like we're handed a script, but are we BOUND to stick to it? I guess that's the burning question.

Reality Check: The Privilege Behind Our Goals

Before diving into this free will question, I’d like us to remember the privileges we often take for granted. Some folks are born into seriously tough situations – poverty, war, you name it. So if you, like me, live in a prosperous 21st-century nation - even for people from minorities that still have SO MUCH to fight for - well, there's no denying that we've landed in one of the best eras and places in the entire history of humanity so far. Just imagine, if circumstances were different, would you still be tuning into this philosophy discussion? When we aspire to reach our fullest potential and become the best version of ourselves, we're riding high on Maslow's pyramid, chasing the self-actualization dream at the very top. I believe we can’t talk about free will if we lack the lucidity to recognize our privileged position, despite all the improvements to which we still legitimately aspire.

Epigenetics: How Your Daily Choices Shape Your DNA—Until Technology Takes Over

And now, to the big question: can I do anything about who I am? Do you grasp the fundamental principles of epigenetics? To put it very simply, epigenetics is like a switch inside you. When you eat healthy and stay active, it turns up the activity of good genes, making you healthier. But if you do things like smoke, get sleep deprived or other unhealthy habits, it turns down the activity of certain genes, affecting how your body works in a negative way. It's like a control system for your body, influenced by the choices you make. So even our DNA, the very core of who we are, can be influenced. Good news. I have a question, though. When too much influence over genetics is too much? Technology could lead us pretty far on the eugenist path. If choosing the sex of your offspring doesn’t seem too hurtful (even though it still can question us), what about choosing skin tone, or even adding enhancements such as seeing in infrared, or augmenting cognitive abilities??

How Your Family History and Choices Shape Your Destiny

Ok, so DNA has a large place in how our destiny unfolds. What about psychology? Do you feel the burden of your past family experiences? Well, first, welcome to the club. I believe we’re the majority there. People with a perfectly functional family seem to be quite the exception. Unfortunately, in some cases, there’s quite a lot of trauma to overcome. And when you have a lot of psychological baggage, it shapes your life, meaning it restricts your free will in one way or another. Now, whether you start at the bottom of the ladder regarding your mental health, or you’re lucky enough to be more advanced on your journey, because you haven’t received too many rocks on your life path, you still have a similar choice to make. Do you prefer to focus on maintaining your current equilibrium as it is, even though it’s not perfect, or to give it a go at a therapy that might - no promise made - change things for the better? If I may share unsolicited advice, I believe that if you choose to have descendants, the problem will be passed on one way or another, so you might want to do the work for your loved ones, if not for yourself. So, let’s recap: we start our life journey with some DNA, and our environment and our psychological baggage have the power to shape us, whether in a good or bad direction. It’s also common knowledge that eating well, sleeping well, exercising, and being with people you love can improve one’s body and mental health.

Determined Factors vs. Personal Choice

So how much of your life is determined? The world isn’t a precise accountant of what is distributed among human beings. You might be privileged to live in a country where no war is raging, but it might show when you eat lots of chocolate during the holiday season, while it doesn’t for others. You might feel unlucky for some of your life lottery picks, and quite grateful for others. Interestingly, we discover that some of the things that seemed immutable until recently, are more malleable than we thought, like DNA. So we shouldn’t disregard the power we have to improve our lot. Of course, it’s hard, of course, it might be discouraging to see how easy life is on others. Maybe just stopping looking at social media for a week is an easy way to feel better. Or embrace the Stoics perspective. You know, the Stoics—those ancient Greek philosophers from around 300 before Christ. The Stoics, on the other hand, believe in destiny, and that events unfold according to Nature's will. They say that our actions are influenced by both internal and external factors. This means that some aspects of who you are may be predetermined, but your perspective and outlook remain within your control. So, while you cannot change everything, you do have the power to choose how you perceive and respond to the world. If you seek peace, you must accept that your actions are determined, but you’re free to choose how I perceive the world. Have you read Paulo Coelho's book "The Alchemist"? He also believed that we come into the world with a predetermined destiny, much like a sunflower seed is destined to grow into a big yellow flower. He speaks of a "personal legend" that we have to discover.

Uncovering Your True Self

When we talk about becoming the best version of ourselves, I’m not sure what we talk about. If we talk about revealing our “personal legend” like Coelho, our hidden potential, then it means that we believe in destiny and predetermination. Our goal is to be a good gardener to help the sunflower to grow as beautifully as it can. There’s another view, that totally contradicts predetermined destiny, and that is the main trend in personal development. The idea is that we can achieve anything with a bit of willpower and specific goals. Books and videos promise quick results, with happiness and fulfillment just a few steps away. I see a significant obstacle to applying these methods though: they all seem to assume that you already know who you want to be. This approach presumes having a clear goal in mind is a bit of a problem to me. Because, I don’t know about you, but in my case, stating what I want is not always an easy task. I kind of feel a tension between the image that the world perceives of me, and my deepest feelings, a lack of alignment. So often in my life, I’m feeling like I’m on a theater stage without knowing my role. Or sometimes, worse yet, it seems like the role I’ve been given doesn’t truly represent who I am. So I’m asked to play something that I know I’m not good at, it’s just not me, it’s bound to fail. And it’s so frustrating because I know that I’m much better at something else and that’s not the part I’m given. So in the end I feel like a mediocre actress when I’m convinced that, with another role, I could blossom and play so well. I don't know if you also experience similar feelings. It really bothers me a lot. Do you also question your identity, your purpose, and the meaning of your actions, or even your life?

Ikigai: A Japanese Perspective on Purpose

Well, there’s a Japanese word that you might know that refers to a sense of purpose, a reason for being. It actually translates as “a reason to wake up in the morning”: Ikigai. This concept of ikigai highlights the idea of balance. It believes that our purpose lies at the intersection of four things: what we love, what we excel at, what the world needs, and what we can be paid for. While this idea has its merits, I find identifying these four elements requires grappling with heavy and complex questions. I believe you need to work a lot on yourself to understand first how you work, before you can use the concept. So it seems useful when you’re further away on the journey of knowing yourself.

Personal View on Free Will and Determinism

Now, I want to share my personal view on free will and determinism. I’ld be very happy to know what you think of this perspective, which is the one that I find most accurate. It is that of a person is both a stone to be cut and the sculptor of that stone. I'm not inventing the concept. For instance, Nietzsche made Zarathustra say: "Become unceasingly who you are, be the master and sculptor of yourself." So, like a sculptor, we shape ourselves, removing what doesn't belong to us and revealing our true essence. To carve one's stone could mean removing what doesn't belong to us, shedding whatever our environment predetermined us to be and to believe. Also removing unnecessary passions, so that we can extract the essence of our being, and shape ourselves to perfection. Nietzsche encourages us to become who we are, emancipating ourselves from external influences and creating our own values that align with our authentic nature. In a letter to Lou Andreas Salomé, whom he was very much in love with, he once wrote: "become who you are. One needs to emancipate oneself from one's chains, and ultimately one must also emancipate oneself from one's emancipation." So shaping our stone involves rediscovering our authentic selves, free from conditioning, and always questioning the values that we ourselves decided to follow. Never settle for good. Nietzsche advocates for a continuous process of transformation. It’s like being on a never-ending journey, where each step forward is not about reaching a final destination, but about embracing the journey itself.

You're a Diamond

I believe we could consider ourselves like a diamond. Since it’s a hidden stone, it needs to be extracted. Once out of the mine, it needs a lot of hard work to be cut with a thousand facets to reveal its beauty. Diamonds are not created but revealed from the beginning. It's our task to bring out what they can be. If we don’t, it can also remain concealed forever. The sculptor's analogy also offers another interpretation. Usually, a sculptor envisions the shape they want to give the raw stone before beginning their work. The final form is prefigured in their mind, and as they work on the stone, they reveal the form. So, there's a goal to be reached beforehand. It means that, unlike personal development, the stone-cutting analogy implies that the sculptor must consider the constraints of the stone. We know that a hard material cannot be cut in the same way as a brittle one, for instance. So from this perspective, there are limits to what we can become; we cannot become whatever we decide, starting from anywhere. Primary circumstances constrain us, even though there is a lot of room to whatever can be created. So, what do you think about my view on free will and determinism, do you agree with it or do you see things otherwise?

So, what do you think about my view on free-will and determinism, do you agree with it or do you see things otherwise? Let me know, and have a good one! ??

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