People sometimes ask me: How did I think of this solution?

One way of thinking about it is that God set me up for this. God made me into a thinker, a problem solver. Then God arranged the circumstances for me to stumble onto this problem, and the solution. I didn’t want to pursue it, I was like Noah, reluctant. But my duty was clear. I could not deny the calling. To ignore it would have been to cowardly turn my back to God.

Another way of thinking about it is that I was fated to do this. It was my fate to be a thinker and a problem solver. It was my fate to work and get married and have kids and buy a house and then to wonder what to do with my life and then be faced with this problem and the solution. My conscience made it clear that my destiny was to bring this to humanity.

Another way of thinking about it is that it was just luck, just a random convergence of events. In a twist of fate, I was born a smart kid. I had become a thinker and a problem solver. I randomly stumbled on this problem and, being a problem solver, I did what was natural for me. I solved it. And when I looked at what I had done, another problem arose- should I build it? So I solved that one, too. I couldn’t really ignore the right solution. That’s not what a problem solver does…

Another way of thinking about it is that it was my choice. I actually made choices that led me to become a thinker and a problem solver. I made choices that brought me face to face with America’s political problems. I chose to grapple with the problem, which led to the solution. And I chose to rise to the challenge to build it, despite the risks, the costs, and mostly rejection from most people who had the resources to help.

In the next article, we’ll look to see which of these is true- was it God, fate, luck or choice?