Скачать или смотреть Court now in session: Case

(PDF attachment)
Albert Einstein on Desire and Free Will
“We can do what we want, but we cannot want what we want.” — Albert Einstein

Einstein was pointing out the difference between action and desire. You may be free to act on a desire,
but the desire itself arises automatically shaped by biology, memory, conditioning, and experience. By
the time you notice wanting something, it has already appeared.

Examples
Food: You can choose whether or not to eat cake, but you didn’t choose to enjoy sweet flavors. That
preference formed long before conscious choice.
Relationships: You may decide whether to stay or leave a relationship, but attraction or emotional
attachment arose without asking permission.
Emotions: You can choose how to respond to anger or sadness, but you didn’t choose for those
emotions to arise.
Habits: A craving (like smoking or scrolling) appears on its own. Freedom exists in noticing it rather
than obeying it.
Fears: Fear can arise instantly in the body. You didn’t choose it—but you can choose how you meet it.

Why This Matters Psychologically
Understanding that desires and impulses arise automatically reduces shame and self-blame. Instead of
asking, “What’s wrong with me for wanting this?” you begin asking, “What conditions created this
response?” This shift builds self-compassion, emotional regulation, and responsibility without harsh
self-judgment.

Why This Matters Spiritually
Spiritually, this insight reveals the difference between the ego and awareness. Desire belongs to the
conditioned mind, but awareness witnesses desire without being ruled by it. As identification with every
thought and impulse loosens, a deeper sense of inner freedom, presence, and sovereignty emerges.
This is the foundation of true spiritual liberation.

True freedom isn’t about controlling what arises. It lives in awareness recognizing desire without
being compelled by it. You may not choose the wanting, but you can choose whether to follow.
Hope this helps.
Phoenix 🐦‍🔥