Yep, and that goes for really nebulous things like relationships and mental health too, not just the physical world.

This sentence hit me:

seeing the world in terms of discrete, quantifiable units and categorical rules

I wonder how many past situations I could remember where I had anxiety and panic over not knowing the rules to follow in a situation. But that’s like asking the wrong question if the reality is that there are no rules, and you need more of a guiding philosophy or purpose than a rule book. For me, I think you do what you can to make the unique experience of life things better for yourself and others. We nerds do have a tendency to focus on “number go up” which has its benefits, but has to be in moderation as with everything else.