Imagination, Freewill and Human Behaviour

We imagine all the time; still imagination is hardly something that we consider being an objective reality. Imagination is commonly taken to be something unreal or fictitious.  You are using your imagination for reading this article at this moment. 

We exercise choice all the time.  Freewill is the ability that every human being has to choose his actions.  Freewill is also something whose existence we commonly don’t notice.  Reading on this article further is also a choice which you are exercising at this very moment! 

Human Behavior is the manifestation of imagination and freewill.  Study of Human being requires us to have clarity about the existence of imagination and freewill in human being.  We don’t need any laboratory or artificial environment to observe these realities about us.  We will try to recognize these realities here in the light of Madhyasth Darshan (Jeevan Vidya).

Where in human being does imagination and freewill emanate?  Is it from heart?  Is it from brain?  Are these bodily functions at all?

Imagination and freewill emanate from jeevan (the conscious unit).  Human being is a combined expression of jeevan and body.  Each human being is a combined expression of one jeevan and one body.  Jeevan is a conscious unit with inexhaustible forces and strengths – which is immortal.  Body is a physiochemical form – which is mortal.  Jeevan is distinct from body.  Jeevan uses body as its tool to express itself.  Body is composed of many atoms and molecules.  Human body is result of evolution on Earth.  Jeevan is also an atom.  It is a constitutionally complete atom – which means, unlike other atoms whose constitution can change by expelling or imbibing particles, jeevan atom’s constitution does not change in any way.  In this way, jeevan is immortal.  Other kind of atoms and their compositions are mortal, because their constitutions can change.  Brain is an important part of body from which jeevan transmits and receives signals in the course of living.  Jeevan needs knowledge (understanding) for its fulfillment.  Body needs nutrition to be of use for jeevan.

The above theory from Madhyasth Darshan is the basis for recognizing the realities of imagination and freewill in our practice.

Imagination is the continuous activity in every human being (in jeevan) for understanding ‘what’ and ‘why’.  Human being is always occupied – during sleep, in dreams and while being awake – in imagining.  You, as the reader, are using your imagination at this moment to understand ‘what’ is being said here and ‘why’.  Imagination (in jeevan) is continuously active to infer (or guess) and get answers for ‘what’ and ‘why’ of the happenings around oneself.  Imagination (jeevan) seeks fulfillment.  Imagination is the prior form of knowledge (understanding).  The fulfillment of human imagination is in achieving the knowledge of realities – which is called as realization.

Freewill is the continuous activity in every human being (in jeevan) for making choices.  Freewill determines ‘how’.  While imagination remains occupied in “figuring out”, freewill remains occupied in “trying out”.  Freewill puts the understanding (or inference) arrived at from imagination into practice.  At this moment, you (freewill) are making choices based on your understanding (or inference). 

Human Behavior is nothing but a play out of imagination and freewill in human relationships, with imagination occupied in “figuring out what and why” and freewill occupied in “trying out how”.  This activity of “figuring out” and “trying out” is because of “longing for completeness” in imagination and freewill.  Human behavior is bound to be uncertain and indefinite when imagination has not yet figured out and freewill has not yet succeeded in its trials.  Behavior of a human being becomes certain and definite when his imagination has figured out the meaning – as the essence of ‘what’ and ‘why’ of existence (all that is).  Animal behavior is “wired” or “definite” – because they lack imagination and freewill.  Definitiveness in behavior is a need in every human being – which can be fulfilled only when imagination gets rooted in understanding of existence.