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Indeed ! Its always good to define terms before a discussion . The issue is there is more than one function in the psyche that comes under the poor English language word 'will' . The same applies to 'soul', 'spirit', and many other 'spiritual terms ' . English is useless in that area .... that's why it has adopted terms from other languages ; HIndi, Pali . Also in psychology , a few instances it has even borrowed from German . We might be better served to list the types of will. Then anyone with serious inquiry might understand what some are talking about here . Well, without defining soul ..... that is one type of 'will' . I have extensive posts on it scattered about . The earliest religious concept of it seems to be recorded in the Zoroastrian Avesta and commentary under the term 'Khvarenah ' The instincts are coupled with the 'animal will' . Its a 'lower type' but of course essential . Like we have a 'hind brain ' and 'neuro somatic' (or 'reptilian consciousness ' ) . I would not describe this type as 'free will' though . . .it is highly and deeply programmed . That is .... that program come written at birth ... it is not one of those programs that are 'to be written ' ( see 'Exo-psychology' ) . Higher aspects of 'will' are probably more centered on (note : not 'in' ) the forebrain and neo-cortex and linked through the sahasrara 'gate'. Well, one of the highest forms of will; as in 'true will' and 'khvarenah' we come 'pre-loaded' with . This does not mean it will be obvious or even discovered by the individual , but also many are born 'instinctively' knowing what their true will is . A simple way of describing this 'will' is to imagine it is the particular path and purpose one chose before our incarnation. To be not on that path, will of course cause (eventually) deep spiritual purposelessness , lack of direction and meaning in life ( " What is life for , why am I here ? etc . ) alienation and depression ..... and eventually a very sick society . Conversely , when enough members of a society do it, its a better society . This was in the original teachings and they talked about a 'golden age ' where society and people became like this ; the origin of religious teachings about 'paradise' ( which actually means 'nice garden ' ; para diz . The correct term for this enlightened society is ' frashokereti ' and those so enlightened as ' sayoshant'. of course it all got turned 'religious' with an interpretation moving towards some triumphant single sayoshant' ('savior' ) coming and 'magically' creating (or through 'magical war' a new society ('New Jerusalem ' ) . All concepts that influenced further development in Judaism, Christianity and Islam . Just to be clear here I am talking about the earliest form , not the later devolved forms . Actually, all this existed before Zoroastrianism even came about . I have posts on here tracking the early development from Ice age refugia (probably Lake Baikal ) and spreading out at the end of the Ice Age ( Big Melt ) , into Central Asia where teachings then traveled west (Zoroastrianism to reform 'Pairo-tkeisha religions ) and east (into Tibet by 'Miwoche - The Central Asian Buddha , to reform Bon . I'd say sometimes we can act independently through will , but most of the time we don't -even when we think we are