This is a very good perspective on it. I do like to be "in control". Well. That's really not the best phrase to describe the situation. It's more like, I want to have knowledge of how to respond to any potential scenario. Does that make sense? "A" might be the expected output (I will stay out all night with my friends, so riding with them is no problem), but "B" and "C" are also possible outcomes, even if they are unlikely (wanting to leave early) and I want to have the ability to respond to those scenarios as well.

This has dictated my career and studies as well. I studied only pure mathematics, and now I'm a software engineer. It's really hurt my job. In the real world setting, software engineering is not quite as predictable and "safe" as it is when you're just studying it from an academic perspective. I get very tense and stressed when I have to deal with curveballs... when I have to put hacks in my code, or work arounds, or when I have to code something that isn't robust long term. It makes me want to quit my job.