When I was learning programming in middle school, I read that there is no true randomness in computer systems. Behind it all, there are only mathematical functions, which will consistently give you the same result every time you provide the same input. That's why it's very common to use current time with milliseconds as input to get "random" numbers — they're still not truly random, but they're virtually unpredictable, which is often good enough.

That made me wonder — is there anything random in the real world? When I throw dice on the table, is it random? You could argue that it depends on the force of the throw, the surface of the table, maybe even the wind if it's outdoors. And every one of those variables was also caused by something. Six years later, when I learned about determinism, I naturally accepted it as the most logical view of the world. According to this doctrine, all events, including human thoughts and actions, are determined by external causes. These causes can be traced back to the origin of the universe, suggesting there's only one way all things could be and will ever be.

With this mindset, when I think of the past, I rarely have any regrets. I don't indulge in thoughts like What could I have done differently? Because to me, the way things went down was actually the only possible way. If I made a decision, it was either the most logical one based on the data available at the time, or it was caused by emotions outside my control. However, this perspective doesn't make any choice I have to make any easier. Even if the road is predetermined, you still have to walk down it.