I do not believe in free will.
By believe, I mean hold to be true by empirical evidence or by experiment
Yet I live my life as if I have free will. This is self-deception for evolutionary reasons. And I am fine with it.
I find it perfectly rational to understand free will is an illusion and to still live your life as if is is real. My friends, for example, do not abandon League of Legends just because it's all transistors and pixels. They behave as if it is real, lest they get caught in a paralysis of thought.
When you make a decision or think a given thought, there is a direct firing of neurons locatable in your brain. Wiggle your pinky, neurons in your brain fire (in the "pinky" area of your motor cortex). Think of an abstract pink elephant, neurons in your brain fire (in various areas, more complex). The brain is your command center for literally everything you do, say, think, and feel.
It is observed that electrical activity spikes in the brain when an action is taken or a thought occurs. This is always true. This happens on a spectrum. You hear a loud siren outside, the sound waves vibrate your inner ear drum which pulses rapid neural signals to your brain. You see an emotional tweet, your visual cortex sends signals to your occipital lobe and your amygdala.
At all times and during all moments, your senses transmit information to your brain.
None of this is chosen by you.
You do not choose the way you hear music. You do not choose the way you see green. You do not choose the sensation of your toes against wet sand. You do not choose how your heart beats.
Why do we think we are the author of our own thoughts? Who are "we" in this equation?