Katele Kalumba
Nov 6 · 2 min read

Free Will: Your Superpower

Do you have a life? This seems like an absurd thing to ask but do you really have one? How often do you make your own decisions? How many people have a say over what you do and how you do it? Do other people dictate your life? If your answers are yes then you haven’t tapped into your superpower; free will.

I’m African, Zambian to be specific, and where I come from respect is something that is demanded. That means you do as you’re told and there are no two ways about it. Even when you want to go to college/university, you are told what to study. How crazy is that? Well, it’s a norm here.

In the short years that I’ve lived, I’ve learned one thing and that’s that people will always want to have a say in what you should do and how you should live your life but how you handle that determines the path you take. If you’ve watched a show called The Umbrella Academy you will see that Vanya, one of the characters, was made to believe that she doesn’t have superpowers when in fact she had them and was the strongest amongst them all. She was made to realize this by her boyfriend and today I play that role. Well, of course not the relationship status because you’d have to take me out to lunch first. The character(Vanya) could not do what she wanted which was to be part of the team and her life was dictated.

I related that short explanation from a series to help you understand what you’re an adult. Please bear with me, I’m not encouraging you to be rebellious but I’m encouraging you to understand that you have a superpower called free will and it is the one thing that’ll help you live a happy life. Take advice from elders but do not let them drive your life.

I talked about college earlier it is an example. My grandmother once told me a story about how when she was going to University she wanted to study Development Studies but her father wanted her to study Economics. He forced her and when she went to school, she did Development Studies and he only found out when she was graduating. She enjoyed her work during the time it lasted. She encouraged me to never be afraid to speak out and do what I feel is right. Of course, she meant this in a proper context. If you are currently struggling with this then speak to your parents/guardians.

I could give many examples but I really just wanted to let you know that you have this superpower that will cause you to thrive! I’m not asking you to live recklessly, I’m asking you to pursue your dreams and do what makes you happy. Do not, and I repeat, do not let people dictate your life.

    Katele Kalumba

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    Writer| Blogger| Graphics Designer| Mass Communications & Public Relations Student