Thanks for the feedback. I understand where you're coming from.
If I could simplify your view: Stuff happens, deal with it. I don't mean to ignore the nuance. But to generalize it further: the universe is stuff happening that you can't control. You can think you're controlling it but you aren't.
That's a metaphysical view I can't rule out. But I was thinking about control in the sense that, I have more control over a car once a learned stick shift. Or humans have greater control of over the Earth resources than since our hunter-gatherers days; we know how take sand to silicon.
But I never meant to suggest (with the original car metaphor either) that I'm completely in control of life. I did mean, and I do think, that I can get greater control over life. In the same way I can chop down I tree and turn it into a table. I just need the skill. Though, it's hard to learn.
Yes it is a bit of a metaphysical view and by no means I am advocating a fatalistic view, where one should just sit and wait for things to happen. You can 'control' your immediate environment to an extend but not much more. To 'control your life' in the real sense it is impossible. Life is mostly a 'random walk' a bit like the stock market going in a certain direction but to find sense out of the noise is very hard. Are you here to-day on HN because your DNA makes you? Are you interested in CS because you had a teacher (parent etc) that influenced you (even subtly) at school? What would have happened if he was not there? So what is my suggestion? Just drive your boat, enjoy the trip and don't let it rust in port!
'Or humans have greater control of over the Earth resources than since our hunter-gatherers days; we know how to take sand to silicon'... this is for another post :), just watch the videos on the Taiwan typhoons! We can only control a very tiny part of that fractal, but maybe you right as people we may be able to give it a bit of colour! Just in case you wondering I call myself an Agnostic Atheist Christian Buddhist!
If I could simplify your view: Stuff happens, deal with it. I don't mean to ignore the nuance. But to generalize it further: the universe is stuff happening that you can't control. You can think you're controlling it but you aren't.
That's a metaphysical view I can't rule out. But I was thinking about control in the sense that, I have more control over a car once a learned stick shift. Or humans have greater control of over the Earth resources than since our hunter-gatherers days; we know how take sand to silicon.
But I never meant to suggest (with the original car metaphor either) that I'm completely in control of life. I did mean, and I do think, that I can get greater control over life. In the same way I can chop down I tree and turn it into a table. I just need the skill. Though, it's hard to learn.