I'm just trying to understand... What if I was that person, the one who did something truly unforgivable; would I have been able to prevent it if I was in their shoes or would I have carried it out just the same?
The thing is that if freewill is an illusion, it means that people are doomed to their lives, and the mistakes that come with it; but if one truly does always have a choice, then that means I could've prevented myself from making the mistakes I made.
Ceejaythe630th
We are human, we are always bound to be flawed and make some mistake in our and other's eyes. I sometimes had those thoughts if I was the one to do the heinous acts, but it usually doesn't take me long to think about something else to stop it.
We don't have control over our lives, but that doesn't mean we can't change what's set in stone. Regardless if we would have carried out the actions the same or have done something different, it's what we decide to do after that determines our fates and character. Sadly most people never learn from the acts or mistakes they have made, so they are either stuck with that being what they are notoriously know for, or they are just doomed to repeat the acts. In a very rare case, people actually try and become better and attempt to make amends to those they purposely inflicted pain on. In a case by case basis they might never get redeemed for their actions, but if they have proven themselves to have changed and make a positive effect for everybody from the outcome, then it shows their growth and how far they have come since the incident, even if everyone else still thinks otherwise. That is the human experience, living life and learning from it.
That's another thing, as humans we rely on communication from one another. Sometimes there are no outlets for people to speak out about their issues, which can sometimes lead to bad events unfolding. That leads to an important factor on how you surround yourself with people. If you are associated with the worst, then a part of that will stick with you in some way, making you a part of the problem. If you surround yourself with good genuine people that you trust, then they'll be able to help you out in anyway and and help stop you from doing something awful. If they are truly good, then they would know you more and help you out, even in your darkest hours and if you already done the acts of evil.
Life is an enigma, we can't control how events are handled or how we act, but if you try and surround yourself with a sociable group, then it gets more tolerable. We can't focus on all the "what ifs" that go on in our head, we should go out and enjoy life in our own ways and focus on what matters the most, the present. We shouldn't worry and compare our lives to others, we should be grateful that we have not fallen down that path and continue to help out one another so that the cycle can finally break. There will be mistakes along the road whether we like it not, but it is also up to us to fight back against our fates and make a better outcome for ourselves, whether it be before or after we have done regrettable mistakes. That's the determining factor in all of this, if we choose to let life take a hold of us, or fight back to get a better outcome in all of this.
Jukestar
Thank you for writing all this. It was lovely to read. I'll just have to understand right now that I don't understand.