If you define free will as being a self-causing agent who controls everything they do and what they don’t do; then we do not have it. Our lives and our actions are influenced by countless factors beyond our control. We did not choose our family traits, when we were born, or where we were born. Nor do we have any control over the numerous external influences that affect our daily behavior. We are embedded within an interdependent, unfolding world. Not necessarily a teleological world of unfolding purpose - but a world that is moving forward on its own terms; no matter how much we try to protest. If the world was an ongoing drama, we would be performers playing out our given roles - rather than directors calling the shots.
This recognition of our place in this reality was something that I always found interesting about the popular HBO television series Game of Thrones. Based on books by author George R. R. Martin, the narratives in the show always seemed propelled by a sense of fate. Much of the tension or drama within the show surrounded various characters either accepting their purpose in life; or attempting to strive against it. For eight years the show moved forward steadily towards an apocalyptic climax that had been foreshadowed in prophecy and dreams. Each character had a role to play in bringing about the predetermined sequence of events.
Eager to capitalize off of the success of Game of Thrones, HBO debuted a prequel series in 2022 called House of The Dragon. Since the events in the show are supposed to have taken place hundreds of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the show seemed naturally teleological. After all, the events in Game of Thrones literally depend on the events in House of The Dragon playing out a certain way. And like Game of Thrones, the characters in House of The Dragon struggle with the conflict between their desires, and the path that the world has determined for them.
As of this writing, the show is still ongoing. Yet there is one character whose journey so far has served as an interesting metaphor for the modern human condition. The brother of the late King Viserys Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen. It is the power vacuum created by the death of King Viserys that sparks the events of House of The Dragon. Daemon, and other members of the Targaryen family begin a struggle for power that will ultimately lead to war and destruction. Yet it was Daemon who displayed a desire for power and glory from the first moments of the show.
He sought to prove himself on the battlefield against his enemies, and in the bedroom with countless women. He felt he was a man of destiny, and a great man of history. Yet to Daemon’s dismay, King Veserys had named his daughter as the heir to the throne before his death. Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen would be unable to secure power after her father’s passing, which would result in the ensuing struggle. Whether out of true love, or his desire for power, Daemon would begin an incestuous love affair with Rhaenyra (his younger niece) that would result in marriage. Yes, George R. R. Martin was very keen to include high royal incest in his works.
Regardless, this union of pure royal blood only made Daemon agitate for power more. He began to chafe at the idea that he (the great man) would be not King, but ‘King Consort’. He did not see himself as a servant, or a sidekick to a Queen. It was with this mindset that Daemon would leave Rhaenyra as she struggled to form an army for the coming war. Instead of marshaling support from varying houses and clans for Rhaenyra’s cause, Daemon would begin to pursue arms for his own ends. With the end goal being that he would garner enough military strength to claim the throne for himself, and finally become King Daemon Targaryen.
Daemon’s base of operations for his power play was a large (but pretty much empty) castle in disrepair. The house or family that owned the castle quickly bent the knee and pledged loyalty to Daemon’s cause. Even if they were a bit confused as to whether Daemon’s cause was his own, or that of his Queen. Daemon’s spirit was torn between his own ambitions, and loyalty to Rhaenyra. His torment was only exacerbated by the fact that the castle he now called home was haunted or cursed. His nights became filled by nightmarish visions, and his waking hours interrupted by hallucinations. Time seemed to blend together for Daemon as he suffered under the weight of desires born of ego and narcissism.
All the while, Daemon began to have cryptic encounters with an inhabitant of the castle named Alys Rivers. Alys seemed to be trying to guide Daemon to some kind of realization about his situation. Whether an actual witch or not, Alys’ character played a role that viewers of Game of Thrones would find familiar. In Game of Thrones, the Red Witch Melisandre served as a kind of shepard for the other characters. She would nudge, suggest, or sometimes directly interfere in order to steer events on their predetermined path. She knew how the story was to unfold, and what each person needed to do in order to keep events on their proper trajectory.
Melisandre was basically the hand of determinism brought to life in human form. Alys Rivers wasn’t quite that, but she did steer Daemon towards recognizing the truth about his place in the world. Over time, she would irritate and prod Daemon about his visions, his struggles, and his lust for power. Daemon was resistant at first, but as his confusion and suffering continued, he began to relent. Until finally, Alys felt he was ready to see, and accept the truth. Which in turn, would allow the events to come, to play out exactly as they were supposed to.
As Daemon is sleeping one night, he awakens to find Alys sitting next to his bed. He quips, ‘Do you never sleep witch?’. To which Alys replies, ‘I’m going to the Godswood (a wooded sanctuary)’ as she gets up and walks away. Daemon would follow her outside as they walked towards a ‘Weirwood tree’. In Game of Thrones mythos, Weirwood trees have an almost religious significance - and for some they even have supernatural powers. As Daemon follows Alys cautiously, they would have the following exchange:
Alys: When you came here you were a closed fist. You wished to bend the world to your will.
But you’ve discovered I think that this world will not be governed.
There are omens here for those who seek them.
You do not scoff?
Daemon: I am no longer inclined to.
Alys: (Laughs) I am pleased to hear it!
Do you wish then to learn what is given to you?
All your life you sought to control your own fate. But today you are ready.
Alys then guides Daemon’s hand to touch the side of the Weirwood tree and its dripping sap. Immediately Daemon’s mind descends into a prophetic vision where he sees the war to come, and the events hundreds of years ahead in Game of Thrones. Instead of himself on the throne, he sees Rhaenyra in her rightful place as Queen. He then encounters his niece, Helaena Targaryen, who says to him:
It’s all a story, and you’re but one part in it.
You know your part - you know what you must do.
Since the show has not reached its conclusion yet, Daemon’s reaction to his experience can only be judged in the short term. Like a weight had been lifted from his soul, he pledges strict personal loyalty to Rhaenyra, along with the loyalty of the army he struggled so terribly to assemble. He had seen, and accepted his place in the world, and finally had a purpose to follow. He had ceased to grasp, to want, or to desire things to make him whole. He had let go, and finally seen himself as a part of something bigger. For now, he was no longer suffering.
Time will tell whether Daemon’s newly found peace will last, or whether he slips backwards into egoism and a craving for power. Yet it should be noted how apt a metaphor Daemon's situation is for the modern human condition. Like Daemon, we believe we have free will, but we do not. This belief leads us to be hard on ourselves, hard on others; and to create suffering as we anguish over actions and decisions. In Buddhist thought, our false perceptions about ourselves and the world lead us to crave and desire; which in turn leads us to suffering. For most of Daemon’s life he saw himself a singular agent apart from the world; while imposing his will on it. Yet the reality for him, and for us, is that we are embedded in an interdependent world. One where a false perception of ‘I’ (or self) can lead us to misery and frustration.
Like Daemon, when we can begin to see reality for what it is, we can begin to find purpose and meaning within the path that lays before us - whatever that might be. We begin to realize that craving money, power, status, or hedonistic desires will never make us whole. In a Buddhist sense, we realize that latching on to our egocentric desires is a reification of emotions that do not deserve to be reified. This recognition of our true place in reality doesn’t mean we give up striving or reaching for anything at all. It’s just that we gain the ability to strive and reach for what is actually meaningful.
When we lose our false sense of self, we arrive at the same place Daemon did. A place where our actions and thoughts align with our place in reality, rather than attempting to align reality to our ends. It is not easy for the human mind to recognize this, or to remain in such an enlightened state. The allure of our false perceptions is hard to ignore. Yet when we see them for what they are, we begin to see the path that is laid out before us. A path we did not choose - and a path we have much less control over than we think. This realization is both uneasy and freeing. Yet like Daemon, when we give in to it, we can begin to live within the world instead of trying (and failing) to bend the world to our ends.