Sounds pretty simple, right? But I always wondered why people - from classmates to many and many that I met later - do not want to take advantage of their freedom. They don’t do what they really need, but what is simpler. They play football instead of learning chemistry or history, drink like there’s no tomorrow instead of trying to make life better: to renovate a flat or just try to earn a little more money. However, we digress.  

Yet what about “the free belong to freedom and the saved belong to paradise”? As  dictionaries explain it, a person is free to live according to his own understanding, but saved will be only those who completely give up their will, submit to the will of God, live by the commandments, pray, keep fasting, etc. 
However, St. John of Damascus, one of the fathers of the Christian church, believed that God "foresees everything yet He does not predetermine all things," leaving the person to decide for himself how to live. It is free will that humans enjoy that makes them different not only from animals, but also, let's say, from angels. It makes sense. If that wasn’t the case, no teachings and no work of the soul would be required. Everyone would simply live in God's will and worship the same deity. But would this humanoid assembly be humanity? 
Everyone knows that the doctrine of karma is one of the fundamental parts of Buddhism. To those who know about karma by hearsay only, it may seem that it is all about predestination. If you were born, say, a Kshatriya*, you will be a Kshatriya until the next incarnation. What freedom of will can we talk about in this case? In fact, we Buddhists believe that karma consists of a combination of a daiva ( fate) and Purusha-kara**. The latter is free will, the very thing that allows you to correct karma. However, enough with theology. I just want to stress that most religions emphasize the importance of free will as a necessary condition for the attainment of bliss. 
However, it relates to the afterlife, but we are talking about "here and now". Let’s discard metaphysics and look at the world with a sober, practical eye. What do I care about the commandments, foundations and principles? If my iron will allows me to satisfy my “want”, what do I care about the rest? I  am a superman. 
This has happened more than once in human history. Last time - not so long ago - it ended badly. 
Now I would not say that everything in the Universe is interconnected, and each of us, willy-nilly, is personally responsible for everything that happens in every corner of it. Although I am firmly convinced of this, but haven’t we agreed to leave metaphysics aside?
There are absolutely irrefutable arguments in favour of the fact that increasingly globalizing humanity is progressively becoming a single entity. Yes, for the time being we are separated by borders, national laws, various worldviews and cultural traditions. The latter, however, are slowly fading away. Nevertheless, half a century ago, the average European learned about an explosion in Kabul in best-case three months after it happened and, to tell the truth, he did not care much. Now he learns about another conflict in Palestine in half an hour and clearly understands that this will be followed by more refugees that, alas, will bring more problems with them. 
So it turns out that, at least within the framework of a single humanity, each of us is associated with everyone else and each of our actions affects all humanity. And from this follows a rather simple conclusion: if you want to live well, find in yourself the power of will to do what is good for everyone, not just for you.
This, I think, was the mistake of those who acclaimed “man of iron will” a hundred years ago. You cannot oppose yourself to humanity and rely on achieving your own dubious from the point of view of all others goals. Driven by an evil will, their military machine crashed against the will and determination of the people of many countries and nations. Basically, of course, against the will of the peoples of the Soviet Union, but the thoughts and deeds of the Mongolian Oirats, the African Bedouins, and British farmers were also directed towards this goal. There was nothing like it in History before. The Second World War clearly showed what the unity of people of good will is capable of. 
This term - “people of good will” – was often and willingly used by Soviet propaganda. However, it didn’t mean much in those days. I think, now it's time to revive it and fill it with true meaning.
From my point of view, a person of goodwill is a person who thinks. A person who is able to calculate what is happening and choose a line of conduct that will lead to a common good. A person who has enough willpower to make a free choice in favour of all humanity instead of the selfish “want.”
* Kshatriyas are the representatives of the second most important varna (caste, class) in Old Indian   society consisting of influential warriors. Kings were chosen from this varna in ancient India.
** Purusha- kara is the second part of karma - human action.