To me, the opposite of force is Will. Force is an external drive, compelling (with the implicit threat of harm) one to do the bidding of another. Will, on the other hand, is an internal drive that an individual can harness to propel himself forward in whatever endeavor he’s attempting. Force and Will are intimately connected – People who use force are typically people who have a strong sense of their own Will and desires, while people who are the cringing target of the use of force tend to have their Will (and autonomy) continually stolen by repeated trauma.
A perfect example of this connection can be found in examining the various “unbreakable commandments” of many religions as compared to the single commandment of Aleister Crowley’s Thelema – Nearly every religion that makes normative statements about what people “should do” backs it up with divine retribution for violating those norms, while Thelema’s only commandment is “Do What Thou Wilt shall be the whole of the law.” The only punishment for violating this commandment is that the violator Will not reach their full potential as a human being.
Force is like a twisted shadow of Will, attempting to stamp the force-er’s desires and wants onto the Will of the oppressed.
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