I… guess that would be one definition of being ‘in charge.’

[They are definitely omitting some of his questioned points, but… that was standard, right? Leave just enough clues out that the mind can fill in the rest.]

Being in charge then… is shaped by our choices? [Partly a question, partly a statement. He’s really just trying to make sense of this now. Some answers revealed, while others leave question in their wake.] So us being in a desert isn’t our choice, but circumstance, and yet the choices we make here shape our journey…?

[He’s used to being by himself when thinking out loud. This is fine.]