I don’t think I agree with this, but you get lots of claps and a follow from me for a thought-provoking piece that is of serious interest to me! :)

Determinism strikes me as the foundation of a nihilistic life. If free will is an illusion, then we are, for all intents and purposes, slaves. Each and every one of us. Of course, that doesn’t mean determinism is wrong. The truth is sometimes ugly and hard to swallow, but I personally believe that living in rejection of determinism is healthier and more satisfying (though not in every context, of course) than the alternative.

Of course, I’m always happy to read opposing points of view. You make some very good points about the upside of embracing determinism, especially your line about “being a witness to this beautiful and overwhelming process.” I can see the logic behind that statement, although I can’t help but wonder if you could maintain that mentality if you were forced to relive the most difficult events of your life while knowing there was nothing you could do to change the outcomes of those events. That, to me, would seem even worse than believing that you could change them but ultimately failed to do so. Hope is what keeps a lot of people going. In my humble opinion — and I am very much aware that I could be dead wrong about this, but this is how I currently feel — determinism is the antithesis of hope, seeing as how hope is really a byproduct of agency. I can hope that I will overcome my OCD because I believe that *I* can fight it. Determinism strips me of that hope because it strips me of my agency and, by extension, my ability to wage war against my disorder.

Anyways, I’m starting to go off on a tangent. Sorry about that! Admittedly, philosophical topics get my mind churning, and sometimes I can’t help myself. Of course, if I don’t have free will, I suppose that’s not my fault, lol! =P