It’s possible to get stuck in a loop of life events. Something kicks in at a certain point and then repeats for a while, sometimes forever. The same stuff keeps coming back again and again. One can feel like the hamster on a wheel. This is what the Buddhists refer to as karma, a hugely powerful force very hard to fight against.

I think of it like a matrix. I speculate at some abstract level our lives are made up of a complex series of matrices all interacting, being joined and severed at key moments. Once a particular matrix is in place all unfolds in accordance. I suspect most people’s ability to influence this process is limited, if at all.