Ok guys, how about this theory:
I propose that the Universe is not unfolding at all. The past, present, and future all exist simultaneously. The reason that it appears to be unfolding in a temporal, linear fashion is that the mind is only a minute part of the totality and can only percieve tiny bits of the whole in a linear way thereby creating the illusion of time.
I have always been fascinated with Quantum Physics and Relativity. Einstein along with others point out that space and time are not constants but are influenced by other factors such as the speed at which the observer is traveling.
I further submit to you that the perception of time is dependant on the speed of the metabolism of the observer. This explains why we experience time passing slowly when we are young and as the metabolism slows with age time seems to speed up.
The lifespan of animals seems to corelate with the speed of their metabolism/ heart rate, but I believe that their perception of the passage of time is the same as ours. For example a cat who lives only 15 years or so and has a higher heart rate than a human percieves that time is passing, maybe, six times faster than we do. This would explain their very short attention span. On the other hand, a turtle who has a very slow metabolism and moves very slowly percieves time moving quickly as their lifespan of as much as 200 years unfolds.
Anyway, the point of my rambling is that Time is not what it seems to be and the Universe as a whole is beyond time and cause and effect and everything has already happened There can be no free will from the point of view of the totality.
