By Rodrigo Diaz and Bernardo Moreno
There are many definitions of free will: the power to decide and direct one’s own conduct; to act with volition either admitting or rejecting something whether loving or hating it; an express desire to do something. Christians define free will as a voluntary choice someone makes, but acting according to a Divine Will; giving oneself to God.
Charles Bukowski had a very clear view of what “will” means in his poem, Roll the Dice: “If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start. If you’re going to try, go all the way. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs and maybe your mind. Go all the way. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail, it could mean derision, mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift, all the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And you’ll do it despite rejection and the worst odds and it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods and the nights will flame with fire. Do it, do it, do it. Do it all the way, all the way. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter, it’s the only good fight.”
“Crime and Punishment,” Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1866
This is one of the most recognized novels of the golden age of Russian literature. It was Dostoyevsky’s first great work after having served his sentence in Siberia. It is a psychological novel—considered one of the most influential in world literature.
Raskolnikov, the protagonist, is a poor student living in Saint Petersburg with the little money that his mother and sister send him. He finds it necessary to approach a loan shark. Dunia, his sister, tries to help him financially by accepting the marriage proposal of a rich lawyer. This greatly displeases Raskolnikov who has delusions of grandeur. Submerged in the rot in which he lives, he plans to murder the usurer and steal his money. He justifies the act to himself by imagining that the man is nothing more than a vile nuisance to society. The major question brought out in the novel is whether Raskolnikov has the right to commit the crime because it would improve the general welfare of society. Or is he subject to existing laws? After carrying out his plan, Raskolnikov is torn by the weight of guilt and plunges into insanity. Dostoyevsky shows a deep human dimension when confronted with free will.
“The Revenant,” Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2015
Many readers may have seen this film by the acclaimed Mexican director, a remake of “The Man from a Wild Land” (1971). The film won three Oscars in 2016 for director, best actor, and photography—and received other film awards. The story is about Hugh Glass, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who guides a group of trappers in the northern United States. The protagonist is attacked by a grizzly bear, and has to fight for survival. He must gather the will to continue subsisting and to avenge the death of his son who had been killed by a member of his group. The murder was committed for purely racist reasons. Aside from his wounds, Glass has to overcome the inclement winter. Although the landscape shines through photographer Lubezki’s lens, it is a difficult and exceedingly dangerous topography. There is also an ambush by the Arikara Indians and then the final confrontation with the murderer of his son, John Fitzgerald, played by Tom Hardy.
“Error, the Warning,” 2022
Three beautiful young Mexican sisters are extremely talented composers and instrumentalists. They have three albums in their career (Error is the last of them) and have become a power trio that has skyrocketed on the music scene. They’ve opened for bands like The Killers, Foo Fighters, Guns n’ Roses, and Muse. They have also recently played at The World is a Vampire festival where The Smashing Pumpkins also performed. They are now performing as leading figures and are making it clear that rock has not died.
Their reckless lyrics talk about the alienation and manipulation of the masses, selfishness, and greed. The powerful melodic bass lines, pure energy-charged guitar riffs, and furious and spectacular drum rolls remain in the audience’s consciousness. The 14 tracks from their latest album were produced by the legendary David Bendeth. Seeing and hearing these girls who are 23, 21, and 19 years old, makes us think of will as destiny.
