What is free will? The practicality of a higher calling...

 The idea may seem trivial, but do you ever stop and think about the question. Do I have free will? I mean, I pick out my clothes in the morning, I choose to ride the light rail, and eat oatmeal for breakfast. I also choose to go to work (thank god it's a place I enjoy). I also chose to dedicate my life to public service, and freely work at bettering my understanding of the world around me through books, music, art, and lecture. I chose all of that, guided by my free will to do so. So I must have free will.

But perhaps the more profound question is why I choose to do those things over any other things? Why do I choose to study public service, why do I choose to be a public servant? After all to be a servant is by definition giving up free will, better yet the servant has no will at all. And you do this for what? For the benefit of others? For the betterment of a collective? Why? Greed at least by nature makes sense.

The idea of questioning free will isn’t new, by all means it has always been in question, case and point, politics. But, when we think of public service as public servitude and furthermore as a high calling, are we really just kidding ourselves?

Is there such thing as a public servant so moved by their empathy and compassion towards the advancement of their communities that they are willing to consciously give up their free will to the people?

And If there is such person, what do we do to reward them? Should we reward them? If we do, we're enabling their servitude and perhaps violating their doctrine of servitude by rewarding them for their actions. If we don't, how far are we willing to exploit them without acknowledging the abuse?  

In my case, I choose to give up my free will. But I wish to set parameters around my servitude. I will sacrifice my talents and ingenuity to be an active citizen, with discretion to which activities I participate in. I subdue to buy the clothes someone else designs and fabricates for me, all the while I get my pick at the colors. I will cater to my fellow citizens and dedicate myself to making a better world with the caveat that those included abide by the laws and policies that protect me.

More profound yet, I sacrifice my free will but only if you sacrifice yours...

Is this the role of the public servant? Is this the higher calling our books and everyone else has been talking about? "Be the change you want to see in this world" but how, how do I do this as a public servant when society has put me everywhere in chains.

I can roll with the punches, I will obey. I will take pride in the abuse and hold the key to my own chains. All of this I will do, all the while I am assured that if I sacrifice my free will, you will too.