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The opulent dance between cause and effect: things are the way they are because of what happened yesterday, and every other yesterday. Rewind all the way to the very first possible moment until: The First State of the First Thing. Some say this First Thing was matter, and more call it mind.
Whether the First Thing was matter or mind, it either:1. always existed or 2. spontaneously came into existence. There are no other options. Either way, there could not have been anything before, including a reason, purpose or cause for the First Thing. Since nothing could have existed before the First Thing (including a reason or purpose), existence itself cannot have an objective, independent reason outside of any purpose or reason that existence makes for itself.

The First Thing could have been: 1. A point of matter in the middle of nothing;2. A god; 3. Matter and consciousness in one, exploring the nothing around it.
But no matter what it was, it appeared spontaneously or always existed. Either way, nothing could have existed before it, including a cause. Although it may be hard to fathom how or why something can exist without being caused, there is no other logical option. If the First Thing was a single Mind (a Creator) which always existed and always had a purpose for itself, it would be profound to discover that Creator’s reason for creating everything. However, there is still “No prior Reason or Cause” as to why the original Mind always existed or what caused It to spontaneously exist. If a Creator existed and created everything in a deterministic universe, and now that Creator does not exist at all, it could be said that the purpose of all things currently existing is that Creator’s purpose. However, the reason as to why there is something and not nothing, is still “no reason” because the First Thing (in this case a Creator) still had to exist first, without a prior cause or reason. Hunting for a reason to why there is something and not nothing, logic convinces me that an answer cannot exist. Since nothing could have existed before the First Thing, the answer to the question must be that existence is simply a fact for which there isn’t a cause. I was concerned about this, but my concern has turned to optimism. Now I feel free to define my own purpose, meaning and reasons for existence.
CHAPTER 2AN ANSWER NEVER CONTEMPLATED, NEVER EXISTED Logic inevitably dispatches me towards the resolution that a reason for the First Thing to exist is not even possible. If I consider the possibility that the matter that existed as a point before the big bang always existed, inflating and deflating, or even spontaneously coming in and out of existence, it can be envisioned in my imagination. What I cannot imagine, is a possible cause for it. It feels weird that there was no purpose to start all of existence. It feels this way because I enjoy thinking of goals, assigning purpose and plan, and achieving. But if you think about it, how else would a Universe without a purpose feel? Things exist and we don’t know why. If there was no reason for the Universe, there is no other way the Universe would present itself. You would find yourself existing and having only ambiguous information about how and why, you and everything exists. It is the only answer which accords with all perceptions. Conversely, an answer to the Purpose of the entire Universe that is clearly correct is just not apparent. If the Universe had an initial purpose, conscious thinking beings should have better insight into that purpose, instead of treading water in an endless sea of wonder. What would be the reason for keeping such a thing secret? It is antithetical to hide a universal purpose. As a thinking being, the Universe should let me in on the secret if such a secret exists. Instead, I and everybody else, just wonder why we are here. At some point, the possibility that there is no objective answer should be considered. If there is one universal purpose of life, I don’t know it without a doubt, and no one I know of knows it either. For a universal purpose of life to exist, this purpose must exist in something’s mind. Otherwise, it doesn’t exist. CREATOR OR NO CREATOR- DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? If there is no cause for the existence of a Creator, and said Creator had a reason for creating everything else, the entire realm of this Universe and the realm of the Creator, taken together, does not have an ultimate initial cause. On the other hand, if there is no Creator, then matter either spontaneously appeared or always existed- leading us to the same result- no reason for the emergence of matter in the Universe, and consciousness is free to find its own meaning and purpose. The purpose of a mind would then be whatever is planned and brought to fruition; whether it is for a lifetime, year, hour or whatever amount of time dedicated to a goal.
I experienced a short-term reason for existing one day when I planted a garden. A Creator could have a different long-term purpose for me and my garden. If a Creator made this Universe, He had a purpose for making it, but there are several other minds that also have purposes for this Universe, many of which are valid. CHAPTER 3
THE MEANING OF MATTER Purpose, meaning, and reason, are thoughts, not physical matter. Words written on paper are matter, but they are also thoughts with meaning when someone considers them. A mind is necessary for purpose, meaning, or reason to exist. A meaning, purpose or reason could not exist before a mind existed.
It appears there are now enlightened minds making reasons for their existence and the existence of everything else, including eternity. In the absence of a universal objective purpose, these reasons can be valid.
I opine that minds exist, even on other planets or realms, that have purposes greater than what I can imagine. The beauty of this natural miracle is that more than one purpose for eternity, infinity and the universe can exist simultaneously.
THE ANT COLONY If a Being created an ant colony to dig through his soil and make it fertile, an individual ant may see its individual purpose as carrying a single grain of sand from point A to point B. If an ant:1. experienced the idea of planning to carry the grain of sand from one spot to another, 2. and then finishes it, 3. it is impossible to say the ant was wrong about its purpose, although another being had an alternate, but compatible purpose for the ant.

If someone:1. contemplates a reason for doing something, 2. plans a deterministic method, 3. and achieves their goal, they accurately experienced a purpose for their existence, even if it is relevant only to the being thinking it.
Any plan that comes to fruition is a correct interpretation of a purpose of one’s life. Following through and making plans happen is what makes life meaningful.
CRISSCROSSING REASONS Everybody is using different things and different people for their own purpose in a grand crisscrossing cornucopia of reasons. In the course of achieving a goal, I may employ other people to achieve a purpose I have in mind. These other people agree to work with me for their own reasons.
One of the popular philosophical views is that the purpose of life is to attain happiness; but the way people achieve happiness varies. A politician giving a silly speech makes me laugh, although the politician’s purpose for giving the speech was not for comedy, but for social change. Reasons are often individually unique. Person A’s reasons sometimes change over time and so does person B’s perspective. I can employ different people to achieve my goals, while other minds use things that I do to effectuate their own goals. A person’s life has different meanings to as many beings that contemplate that person.
All things can have different purposes. Television sets, an item that a salesman sells to put food on his table, is also used by preachers to promote belief and worship in God. A stone can be art or a paper weight. Existence is a grand symphony of compatible reasons and purposes. With this in mind, it is clear that there cannot be a single reason, meaning or purpose for all things that exist.
CHAPTER 4TO KNOW THE PURPOSE OF EVERYTHINGI would love to be able to consider every facet of the entire universe all at once. In that manner, I could consider a purpose for the entire thing. But there is an upper limit to what I can envisage. The Universe as a whole represents sacred wonder to me, and its purpose to me is the continual discovery; but it is apparent that there are aspects which will always escape my finding.
THE BARE BLUNT TRUTHPeople can only appreciate a meaning of life from their own point of view. I have to decipher everything through my own mind. A plethora search for a signal that holds and makes sure that everybody knows and understands a universal meaning of existence. As long as the source of the signal continues to be debated, each person has no choice but to adopt their own purpose. While such separation between minds elicits a certain sense of loneliness, it is this separation that gives each individual the right to claim their own meaning of existence. While we can influence each other to adopt certain proposed meanings of life, each individual ultimately has no choice but to rely on their own interpretation.
THE ONE LENS TO PEER THROUGH The interpretations I have relied upon have evolved with age and time. Even if there is a grander meaning of life, it still needs to be contemplated by each mind for the “meaning” to exist for everybody. If I speculate as to what is behind the mind of a Creator or any other being, I’m still left with no other choice but to rely on my own mind for understanding or meaning.
When I realize that information in the mind of a potential Creator is mysterious, and the perspectives of other people are diverse, it is impossible for me to fathom a universal meaning of existence; but it is possible to contemplate my own purpose and meaning of my perceptions. I conclude that I must decide for myself what the purpose and meaning of life is: there is no other choice in the matter. And if I don’t decide, life will be meaningless to me.
CHAPTER 5THE REASONABLE MOVEMENT OF MATTERWhen Descartes exclaimed “I think, therefore I am,” he proved that the existence of his thought is undoubtable; but the existence of anything else can be doubted. This means:1. Matter is reasonably believed to exist. 2. Thoughts are reasonably known to exist. The purpose of life is in the category of an idea, thought, or contemplation. It is not matter, even if matter is believed to be necessary to cause thoughts. Thoughts are distinctive qualia from matter and its movements. In fact, all matter could be a figment of imagination. Therefore, existence of thought is more grounded in reality than the existence of matter. But matter makes its presence felt, notwithstanding any doubt. If matter organized in such fashion that brought about the consciousness we experience, then it is matter that began to:1. contemplate a goal,2. plan to get the goal,3. score the goal,and thus a purpose emerged where it did not exist before matter organized into a mind. When atoms move without a mind contemplating them, there is no purpose or meaning. However, when the movement of matter in a mind creates the emergence of a mind than can contemplate a purpose for existence, a potential purpose of life comes into existence. THE EXAMPLE OF LUNCH If the movement of atoms causes a person to believe that her purpose is to eat lunch at a restaurant, the subject will contemplate a plan for leaving her home and getting lunch from a restaurant. At that moment, she has contemplated a purpose for her life. If she is successful in getting lunch as she planned, then she accurately knew one of the purposes of her life. This is true whether there is any Free Will or not. It is the knowing and planning before a goal happens that is the knowing of a purpose of life and reason for existing. Sometimes a reason for existing is a good lunch.
MOVING WITH AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE I have never seen a being that displays knowledge of the purpose of life and effectuates it with significant control over the mechanics of the world. However, the term “God” usually refers to a being with such power. If there is a superior being who has his own purpose for a deterministic universe, the universe is destined to bring it to fruition no matter what we think. If the Universe is deterministic, our thoughts will not affect the predestined outcome, but our thoughts can be valid short-term reasons for life if they are compatible with the laws of the deterministic universe. If there isn’t such a plan by a superior being, then the purposes we imagine, plan and bring to fruition are the only purposes of life, whether there is any Free Will or not. DEPENDANT ON DETERMINISM For a plan to work, a level of determinism must be part of the equation. Otherwise, the result could never be purposefully attained, only accidentally. If there is a realistic purpose for the entire universe, the universe would have to be substantially deterministic. Otherwise, this “purpose” would only be an idea which may not come to fruition. If the Universe is not substantially deterministic, then no one can be sure that the “purpose of all existence” will come to fruition. Without a deterministic universe, any purpose for setting in motion the wheels of life, may only be a hopeful idea.
USE IT, BUT DON’T ABUSE IT People can use each other for different reasons. If I build a barn because I want to house livestock, it doesn’t matter to me that another mind wants me to build a barn because he does not want a tree to grow in the space where I put my barn. The important part is that my purpose does not need to change unless it is contrary to another entity’s purpose and I’m forced to be aware of the difference. In this sense, there is nothing stopping me from interpreting a purpose for my life, other than what I am capable of achieving.
CHANGE TO SPARE Today I want to be alive and comfortable. But just as moods change, people are dynamic in their reasons. Generally striving for happiness, but also capable of violence, anger, and destruction. Reasons encompass the entire range of emotions. But to truly be the cause of something, you need an element of Free Will to put together a deterministic course.

FREE WILL


In the broadest sense, Free Will is the ability to do whatever you want, uncontrolled. Limits to Free Will are facts because our options are predetermined. I would fly across the universe to see the other side, but I realize I must have:1. air 2. water 3. food4. shelter5. exercise6. time7. love.Just as a science will only work because of predictability, earth is where I dwell. I try to imagine the other side, but I seem limited by the synthesis of what I already know.
However, there is hope for Free Will. The plain proof of Free Will is the feeling of choices made, and thoughts had, which no one could foresee. This alone does not prove Free Will, but determinism cannot be complete without complete predictability. Today’s scientific arts are far from perfect predictors, especially when forecasting the roots of thought. Pure Determinism is theory. Compatibilism describes what I actually experience. Many of my thoughts correlate with my desire, and often there is no other information regarding the roots of those thoughts to consider. MAKING CHOICES WITH MATTER A will is a desire. A desire is a type of thought. Just like a reason or a purpose, a will is not matter. The agent capable of contemplating desire is the mind. The mindful defy the laws of physics. Lifting one’s hand against gravity proves the presence of a mind, and therefore a will.
Science describes the mind as matter existing within the laws of physics, but science also ascribes the mind as having the power of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity includes the brain’s ability to make connections between points of brain matter by consciously thinking about certain subjects. If valid, this means that there is a loop between matter in the brain, and the consciousness created thereby. They both affect each other.
 COMPELLED BY PHYSICS One day I wanted to quit smoking, but it seemed that my will was subdued by villainous tobacco. I heard of a medication which would help me quit. I took it and I quit smoking. In the process, I noticed that part of me wanted to quit smoking, and another part did not want to quit. There were 2 distinct and opposite “Wills” in my mind: both believed to be caused by the same laws of physics.
One Will within me used medicine to subdue and compel another Will within me. The fact that there were two opposite desired “Wills” indicates that there could not be a uniform control. The Will that subdued the smoking desire, is potentially free. While it can be argued that logic itself compelled me to quit smoking, I had ignored logic for many years before I chose to quit.
THE TIE BREAKER I had steak for lunch. Because I had steak for lunch, I want vegetables for dinner. I believe my desire for a vegetable dinner is controlled by physics. But consider if Free Will exists when choices are equally compelled by physics.
Here is the banal choice between the left door and the right door. I comb my memory to help me remember which door I have chosen before, and which door renders more positive outcomes. For this to help me choose wisely, my memory must be accurate. My memory is not accurate. Undaunted, I make a choice. My choice between the 2 equal doors is either the product of randomness, or the product of Free Will. Neither one can be excluded. Randomness is not a cause. It is the absence of a cause. I surmise that Free Will is the cause of such a choice.
CHAPTER 7BENJAMIN LIBET’S DOUBLE BLIND PLACEBO CONTROLLED SCIENTIFIC STUDY ON FREE WILL Free Will was scientifically studied by Benjamin Libet in the 1980’s. He brilliantly showed that electromagnetic brain activity increased before a conscious decision to move was made by a person. By studying this brain activity, Libet accurately predicted when a person was going to have a conscious decision to move a finger. However, even if the movement of matter in the brain makes one move, this does not negate Free Will. While a Will is not matter, matter can have a Will. Even if the vast majority of our behaviors are otherwise predictable, it would be an error to now conclude that there is no Free Will. This is not the current state of the science. We are not able to predict all behaviors in a placebo controlled double-blind experiment, or any experiment. Until all behaviors are accurately predictable, I cannot surmise that there is no Free Will. My empirical analysis of scientific study on the issue of Free Will, shows that there is a great degree of determinism, but Free Will has not been eliminated.


THERE CAN’T BE A NEFARIOUS CONTROLLING BEING Some people believe that another being controls human thoughts, and therefore there is no Free Will. This notion is impossible because a person can have an absolute sincere desire for Free Will. If a being were controlling my will, my desire for Free Will is the opposite desire of the controlling being’s desire. Even if the controlling being wanted me to desire Free Will, the controller’s purpose for causing that desire in me is not honest. Conversely, my desire for Free Will is sincere. Having the opposite desires means having your own unique will.
THE DEFENSE OF FREE WILL In deciding whether or not any Free Will exists, consider the two elements of life which can be responsible for behaviors and actions: 1. the self (Free Will) or 2. the mechanics of the Universe (determinism). Consider that the self is the only entity which is absolutely known to exist. When Rene Descartes coined his maxim, “I think, therefore I am,” the self is regarded as one’s thoughts, not one’s body. It is only thoughts which are known to undoubtedly exist and a “will” is one of the thoughts that we have. When ascribing responsibility for personal behaviors and thoughts, people’s Wills are either controlled by their own thoughts (which are known to certainly exist) or physical mechanical forces (which may not exist as matter could be a figment of thought). As a general rule, when deciding between two factors which may be a cause of an effect, the cause which is sure to exist should take precedence over a cause which may not exist altogether. Since only the self is sure to exist, the default position should be to ascribe thoughts and ambitions to the self, and not anything else whose entire existence is questionable.


THE CHOICES WE ARE COMPELLED TO MAKEThe more I learn the more I can predict things, but I can’t predict everything, and that will continue. Some like to respond to this by opining that all things could be predictable if we had enough information about the Universe. This may be true, but we won’t know if this is true, unless that actually happens. Until then, I must call it as I, and everybody sees it: People’s thoughts and behaviors aren’t predictable. The subjective feeling of Free Will may be flawed at times, but the feeling exists, and everything that exists is part of the answer. Any theory of a purely deterministic world remains unproven and Compatibilism is the only model that explains everything observed in the lab and in everyday experience. Consider the path of a hurricane and the way people will react to learning about it: the major events for the people in the way of the hurricane could be predicted, but every thought an individual had during the event is not predictable, even using the finest instruments and strictest logic. Unless science proves that it can, in fact predict a substantial number of thoughts and behaviors, Compatibilism is the choice response to the question of Free Will

POINT OF VIEWI wonder why things exist, so I searched for what caused the First State of the First Thing to exist. I discovered that “No Reason” is the only possible answer because:1. whether it was a god or matter, the First Thing2. had always existed, or appeared spontaneously. 3. Either way, there could not have been anything that existed before, including a reason or purpose. The ancient question, “Why do things exist at all?” has never been answered because no answer can exist. I have the right to choose a reason for existence, since there is no other reason I could know. There are people who have a purpose for me, and I can find a purpose for myself and everything else. My point of view may be different from your point of view. But in this sense, there are as many reasons for existence as there are conscious minds. People’s different reasons for existing need to be compatible to avoid conflicts. Compatibilism reigns supreme as determinism has yet to be completely proven. I observe, and the world showed reasons. I pondered one of those reasons, added to it and made something happen. Then I found reasons for my own existence. Purpose, reason, meaning and will exist, but only as thoughts in the mind; without a mind, they don’t exist at all. Existence as a whole did not have a purpose to begin with; but now my mind must define its own purpose or live without knowing one. After careful consideration I find a reason for the start of existence cannot be; but I, as the evolution of existence create it now.