The speaker shares a transformative experience where he felt a deep connection to the concept of a cosmic Jesus. Through this experience, he explored the idea of free will in the context of creating robots with free will and the consequences of their actions. This led him to believe that a higher power absorbs the penalties of those with free will to alleviate eternal guilt. This belief spurred him to live as if he had only six months to live, leading to a profound rebirth experience. During this time, he learned the importance of having a future and how denying it can strip away one's humanity.