<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Pascal%27s_Wager" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Pascal%27s_Wager</a><p>The fallacy here is that there is no downside to belief and that finite losses spread over infinite scenarios are still finite.<p>Applied to controlling one&#x27;s own destiny, the issue is that there is a middle ground between having no control and having complete control. Obviously it is a waste to believe you have no control and to do nothing. It is also a waste to believe you have control of everything: I&#x27;m not going to control the weather or other people&#x27;s moods, so it is a waste of effort to even attempt to do so.<p>The question, then, isn&#x27;t <i>if</i> we can control our destinies, but <i>how much</i> we can control. Identifying the areas in which your effort would produce a desired effect is paramount. Though of course, due to our population size, you&#x27;ll always find people who bet it all on black day after day and made that moonshot due to their unfounded yet devoted belief that the universe would unfold the way they wanted it to.