G-d and Human Freedom

 

 

Art from my webcomic series under construction

Sometimes I think of human freedom in purely "necessary evil" terms. In other words, G-d does not want to be a slave master, does not want to compel us to be good, but wants us to come to Him of our own free will. In order for that to be the case, human evil has to exist in the world. The human evil that so often vexes my heart and makes me ashamed to be a member of this species.

However, it seems to me now that I have underestimated the intentions of G-d. Duh, Captain Obvious is Obvious. ;) Of course I underestimate the intentions of the Almighty. How could I not?

Yes we must be free in order to choose G-d and good and truth and beauty and righteousness freely, not through compulsion. And thus evil must be in the world for us to freely choose good. But we also must be free in order to be... us. That unique person, as unique as every fingerprint or snowflake. Of all the billions of people on Earth, there is only one of each of us. Some things are neither commanded nor forbidden but are simply us being us. Our expression of our innate uniqueness.

Of all these billions, how many will never bring out the unique personality that is within them? The expression that only they of 8 billion people can make? If G-d loves us, and I believe He does, does he not also love the unique self that only you in all of time and space can ever be?

Of course, self-expression is no excuse for breaking commandments or causing harm. Grafitti artists are much in vogue in the past decades, and I too sometimes like the art itself. I cannot like the act, however: harming the property of others just to express yourself is functionally the same as stealing property. We can express ourselves without causing harm, and we must do so. I have been watching clips from a movie about an artist, and what strikes and riles me is his continual property crimes. Keeping the Commandments and doing no harm is way more important than any personal expression.

However, I have no doubt that it is not simply for the sake of free choice that we are free. We are free so that we can be who we are at all. Each one, the only one in existence.