（1.School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058， China|2.Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience， an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences， Meibergdreef 47， 1105 BA Amsterdam， The Netherlands）〖WTBZ〗〖JZ)〗〖KH*2D〗〖WTHZ〗Abstract： 〖WTBZ〗Life started 3.8 billion years ago as a competition between molecules. Mankind was the result of the subsequent evolution， characterized by the selection of the best fitting random mutations. This means that life as such is a random event without higher meaning. As a result of evolution， our well-developed cerebral cortex makes us endow ourselves with the ability to create our own meaning of life， by work， hobbies， children and relationships. The illusion that life has meaning arises when the way we live is pleasant， which is accompanied by stimulation of the reward system in our brains. There is also an evolutionary advantage to this: it leads to a better chance of survival. As our brains are all different as a result of different genetics and the different ways in which they developed， we have to adapt the way we live to the way our brain has developed in order to get a ″tailor-made″ stimulation of our reward system． The desire to live is the most characteristic property of all living organisms， but in some psychiatric disorders this desire is absent， and this may lead to suicide. Suicide is not really a choice: most suicide attempters have a psychiatric disorder， e.g. depression， addiction or schizophrenia，which causes them to no longer experience the feeling of reward that living a life generally offers. In addition， these disorders may go together with anxiety and delusions， both of which stimulate the wish to die. Psychiatric treatment and appropriate social interactions are the way to prevent suicide. In this concept of suicide， an exception may be the balance suicide. Balance suicide is committed in some Western countries， by people with a serious and irreversible illness， and occasionally by elderly people who feel their lives are complete and that continuing with it would just mean suffering without sufficient reward. Even then， however， it is questionable whether one can call this an act of ″free will,″ since the genetic background and development of the brain will allow or prevent the act of such a balance suicide． Concluding， we are all very different people who did not choose freely to become the person we are|rather， who we are is decided by our genetic background and the way our brain subsequently developed in interaction with the intrauterine and social environment. Natural variation has always been the basic driving force for evolution and will never disappear. We all pursue a life that is adapted to the way our very variable and unique brain has developed. Because of the way our brain has formed and developed we are not free to choose. Governments should permit and protect our freedom to live the life we have been hardwired to live — provided， of course， that the way we live does not harm the others.