I can’t help but feel like somewhere he lost the thread of his sense of self and that programming was a skill he picked up to address a specific interest, that

I can’t help but feel like somewhere he lost the thread of his sense of self and that programming was a skill he picked up to address a specific interest, that over time happened to carry him to the doorstep of a lucrative career but was at odds with who he is as a person. So yeah, what you’re saying is the most logical approach and is virtually the playbook for most people who share his space, but at the same time is probably totally out of the question for someone like him. And I can relate to that. At its core, this sounds like an artist’s lament. And there’s a beauty to how coldly rational he is in his determination to live a life that isn’t entirely driven by material incentives. A very dangerous outlook in some ways, and a sign of things to come, I gather.