Magic Nonsense

Everything happens for a reason, but that doesn't mean understanding the reason is always worth it.

When trying to accomplish a task using software, it is common for the solution to massively exceed the initial problem in terms of complexity to the point that internalizing the information required to truly comprehend why it works would be more work that the problem you're trying to solve.

Because of this, what is and isn't Magic Nonsense depends entirely on the scope of what you're doing. What's Magic Nonsense in one situation might be knowledge that is foundational to another.

This can be crushing. There is always something bigger and more insidiously inscrutable waiting around the corner. It is tempting to just give up and accept the sacred incantations passed down from on high, but beware: if you let this creep deep enough into your brain, you will lose the capacity to be critical about anything and will instead evaluate software based on how magically nonsensical you believe it to be. You will prescribe value to things by counting terms you don't understand, big numbers, and nothing else. After that, you will probably die.

It's okay to not understand or even to not want to understand, but you must not take this lack of understanding for granted.