All about choice.

You Are A Cog.: Part Three: Relationships:

"However it is entirely possible that you are now or have been in a loveless relationship based on manipulation, emotional blackmail, mental abuse, physical abuse, lies or even absolutely nothing whatsoever. While it is a vast oversimplification to say that people are in these situations because they chose to be in them, when you strip away all the rationalizations and explanations relationships are largely about choice.

...It is critical be aware of your own history. To be able to think about yourself objectively and not fall for your own bullshit. As far as relationships go, it is equally imperative that you understand the history of others and how that brought them to their current present.

Choices.

We are not the victims of history.

Maybe predicting the future is impossible – but maybe understanding that the future is going to reveal itself based on our histories, affected by our present actions isn't impossible."