Are we completely determined?

I have thoroughly enjoyed this week’s discussion on free will, as it has forced made me think about all that life has to offer. I have found myself questioning my existence here on earth, and what purpose I serve. After Wednesday’s class, I found myself believing that the world is completely determined. It is evident that all of our so called choices are somehow affected. Whether we are persuaded by rules and laws, human behavior, the weather, or even science, all of our decisions involve some amount of persuasion.
In class we came up with the conclusion that ethics is impossible because they must be freely chosen, and thus ethics and morals are only illusions. Though this conclusion is defined, I still struggle with putting my arms around the determinist theory. I feel as though we will never really know if we are choosing our decisions freely, or if our actions are determined. But either way, I have always thought that some of my actions are my own choice. I believe that we have some choices in our lives, but that most of our life has already been determined for us. It is evident that we will never be free of the causality in the world because are fully involved in it.