Unfree actions often dominate our life. If we want to change that, we must understand how such unfree actions come about. For now we can look at an action as a reaction to an outside trigger. Like a stone is forced into a change of movement by a push, or a computer is starting to do a calculation, an input from the outside also animates us to deliver a reaction. Then we behave like a simple machine, reacting as we were shaped to do. This can be named an unfree action without any doubt. So lets have a closer look at what happens when we react.
To start with we can observe that different people react differently to the same situation. We need to know someone well if we want to predict their reaction. All footballs react in the same way to a kick. That is not the case for humans. So there is an element that allows a human to have an individual reaction. We call this element the character. The character is the sum of the driving forces, called Triebfeder in German. That means it consists of the springs that are under tension within us which can be triggered by inputs from the outside. Many driving forces are activated directly as an immediate reaction to a perception. We see something, and we react instantly with an action, sometimes without even being aware of it. We can differentiate instinct and tact, or moral good taste. Some people see a spider and immediately take a step back. Others see their neighbor and say hello. All this happens without us thinking about it. It is either an innate or trained behavior. It can also be a feeling that drives us to act. A human can feel compassion when he sees someone who needs something and cannot get it. This feeling can become the driving force for our action and make us help this person. And it can also be experience that decides how we act. If we already got into trouble several times because of property damage, this experience might result in a change of behavior, so we try to avoid causing damage or getting in trouble for it.
How we act is also dependent on our motives. They are the immediate reason for the decision to act. At times when egoism is strong within us and becomes our motive, driving forces like envy and anger can quickly result in destructive behavior. Perceptions triggering our instincts can easily be followed by intrusive actions. This is the most basic level of human action. It can be refined by prudence morality. Then I will not directly act as I desire in the moment, but will consider future consequences which could be bad for me. I will try to guess the effect of my actions and the reactions of others and optimize the mid- or long-term result of my actions. In a second step a human can submit to commandments. When we wish to act in accordance with rules and laws, then we can only execute actions that comply. We can no longer simply live out our instincts, but we must restrain ourselves and find ways not conflicting with the law. In a third step we can develop even further by not simply following given rules but acquiring an understanding of a purpose that we want to support. This purpose can be the well-being of mankind or cultural development. When we act based on understanding, we need to have some idea of well-being or culture. We need to build a concept of what that means. Then we can dedicate our actions to this purpose.
No action resulting from the driving forces and types of motives described above is a free action. So far we have only investigated how unfree actions come about. An understanding of this is already the key towards a free action. It is not caused by any of the mechanisms above. It is always accompanied by the love of action. And it requires that I do not choose from given alternatives on how to act, but develop my own specific action based on my own intentions, using my own experience and imagination.