Will

Note: Will is discussed at length under the heading of Mind.

Question: I have a question about the will. Something you said about the will was almost as if it was a
separate thing than us. So is the will of completely from an animal level or it is it from personality?

Answer: Personality exercises dominant will choice on this level but the will is the offspring of the conscious human mind, mid-mind. It is your only area of control or choice. You cannot effectively influence other things: your body, material world, the Adjuster. But you can exert influence and growth through will in the material, conscious mid-mind.

Free will was bestowed by the Father, not the Creator Son Michael. If we all choose to annihilate ourselves, that is their prerogative, we have that. Even I. But the point is that we don't. The plans for uplift, for guiding us ever onward and upward, is not a negative plan to stop us from doing evil. It is a magnet, which is positive, which draws you ever upward. It is not to prevent self-annihilation, but rather to give you more opportunities to grow, for getting you to reach up so that the ones above can reach down and so pull you up. Free will by itself is nothing. It is not valuable unless you are given enough choices. These teachings, the
Urantia Book, revelations, are all to give you those better choices. 

Frosty:  Could you comment on the connection between loss of willpower at an early age and the addictive, compulsive nature? I was reading John Bradshaw about that, that maybe I am trying to struggle against something I don't have any power over. How can I develop this? I'm sure there are many of us in this situation. 

Elyon: Willpower is what these two words mean; your volitional abilities are powerful. The culture of this world spends little time developing mental disciplines which aid in a personality's ability not only to choose but to act upon the choice. Control of the will of the child, the dampening efforts you speak of, often stem from a fear of the power of will in an adult and the lack of understanding the personality's ability to control this power. 

Behaviors that appear beyond the range of will stem from dysfunctional and deficient training. The abilities you have attained, skills you have in choice making, are best revealed to you when you are free from the expectations of others and the demands of your society. In effect, when you are alone you are best able to perceive your strength of will, for nothing else will corral or hinder your expression. Some compulsive behaviors are simply one's will on a tirade, not so much an external factor controlling oneself as an internal venting of repressed choice making.

Frosty:  If I am alone and there are 20 candy bars in the cupboard, I am going to eat those 20 candy bars. I seem to have no will. You are saying that I am venting? Or is some of it from habit? Is there still something in me, old programming? It seems like I don't have more control whether or not I am alone. Then I beat myself up for not eating vegetables. At times I seem hopeless. I'll do fine until there is a candy bar in the closet!

Elyon: I do have an exercise. I mentioned will venting. I mean that the will has finally had an opportunity to unleash itself from prescribed constraints. Your exercise is to buy a candy bar, and put it on the kitchen table and look at it as you do your work throughout the entire day. Take it out of the closet and put it on the table. After you have spent all day observing this thing, eat it. Through this you will perceive the function of your will power. The candy bar in the closet is symbolic of the restriction of your childhood freedom, will.  The closet symbolizes the constraint. You desire to unleash this candy bar. Bring it out on the table and enjoy it all day. This is my advice. 

Frosty: I will try that. I like the knowledge that goes with that closet thing. Thank you for your patience with this.