"The attainment of any object is conditioned upon knowledge, volition and action."
Free Will
Development of spiritual qualities is not controlled by nature. Although the soul aspires to spiritual things, the acquiring of spiritual qualities depends upon effort. It is in this domain that man has been given free will. This is very similar to a bird which in flight must use its wings to counteract the force of gravity. If it fails to do this, it will be pulled down instantly by this force.
Power of Choice
One of the most potent forms of social control is to conceal from an individual his/her own power of choice. This is not to say that person ceases to choose. But rather, that she/he has a strong tendency to make choices in conformity with the expectations of peers simply by assuming there are no alternatives.
“All that which ye potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition.” (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 149)
The truth is that our good or evil actions depend neither on our nature nor on God's decree, but solely on our free choice. In fact we can only attain our true destiny -- what God has destined for us -- by applying our free will to further our spiritual education and growth.
“The attainment of any object is conditioned upon knowledge, volition and action. Unless these three conditions are forthcoming there is no execution or accomplishment.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 100)
Therefore to achieve true happiness, we must use our own volition to lead a noble life.
“Were man to appreciate the greatness of his station and the loftiness of his destiny he would manifest naught save goodly character, pure deeds, and a seemly and praiseworthy conduct.” (Baha’u’llah - Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 172)
“How lofty is the station which man, if he but choose to fulfill his high destiny.” (Baha’u’llah- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 206)
But to have free will does not mean we can control everything. There are things that are bound to happen to us over which we have little control.
“Some things are subject to the free will of man, such as justice, equity, tyranny and injustice, in other words, good and evil actions; it is evident and clear that these actions are, for the most part, left to the will of man. But there are certain things to which man is forced and compelled, such as sleep, death, sickness, decline of power, injuries and misfortunes; these are not subject to the will of man, and he is not responsible for them, for he is compelled to endure them. But in the choice of good and bad actions he is free, and he commits them according to his own will.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 248)
Therefore it is in the choice of good and bad that we have free will, and while the social conditions under which we make choices differ, we all have moral agency and thus moral accountability. For example when it comes to justice, personal responsibility is as significant as social responsibility.
“..Every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called to account for his failure?” (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 143)
“Each man has been placed in a post of honour, which he must not desert. A humble workman who commits an injustice is as much to blame as a renowned tyrant. Thus we all have our choice between justice and injustice.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 159)
“Each man has been placed in a post of honour, which he must not desert. A humble workman who commits an injustice is as much to blame as a renowned tyrant. Thus we all have our choice between justice and injustice.”