well, I do believe the theories and the show are actually about physics... but I still can't see how humans can (at least currently) bend the 6th dimensions, since we can only move freely in three dimensions and forward through Time. Like I said, the only things that humans can do that comes close to anything on the other dimensional plains are with the mind, hence it becomes a bit more psychological/philisophical... I suppose I was just trying to make this meaningful for us, who will probably never be able to move freely through the folds in the 6th dimension or going back in time...

I still don't see any arguments for pre-destination here. If anything, the existence of the fifth dimension indicates that, through choices/actions at earlier points in time, you can create your future self out of a larger set of possibilities. Not all of these possibilities exist in the present (particularly as you grow older and pass by the departure points), and those in the past are closed to you, you missed the opportunity. But, if I decided, right now, that I would dedicate my life to becoming an author, I could do that. If I chose to become a hikkikomori, I could do that too. I could saw my hand off and go down a Disabled self timeline. All of those possibilities exist right now, although I'll probably not do any of the three, but who knows? I do love to read and write, and I could live on my parents' support for a few years, I could lose a limb also...

I'm not saying that the infinite possibilities are available to all of us at every time, but that the very fact that we can choose what we do in the present shapes our futures, seems to me to indicate some freedom of choice.

Psyke does bring up a good point: You can't just create a new 'current you' out of the 5th dimension alternative selves. We're forced to go forward through time, and can't access what we'd be like, right now, in alternate realities, without anything as crazy as time travel or somehow bending the 6th dimension (which we can only do in our imaginations, where we picture alternatives of our current selves)

Remember, we're 4th dimensional 'flatlanders'. We can only travel forward in time. But, we can travel freely in the first three dimensions (and, in a more ethereal sense, even more freely with our minds). To me, we are 'flatlanders' in a giant labyrinth where we are forced to go forward but are constantly presented different 'paths' to go down, being unable to go back and try paths we've passed by. At the start, there are tons of options open to us, and they narrow as we near our end. By traveling in our three dimensions and imagining what each path might bring, we shape our lives through choosing these paths.

(several arguments against this are: You can't access all those possibilities, especially early in life when much of the choices are made by your parents/surroundings. You might make your own 'larger overall direction', choosing to always take a certain path as often as possible, blindly bypassing (even failing to recognize the existence of) other paths. Some paths might appear to overlap at certain points, or at least have similarities in the places they bring you to.

Still, I don't think any of those things 'pre-destine' people to always arrive at a certain end point, a fixed succession of 'future selves'. Just because you end up some place doesn't mean you HAD to end up there. You could have taken a left instead of a right. Plus, I'd argue that there are tons of external influences that interact on our lives every day, from family to friends to random people you talk to on internet forums. I don't think I was predestined to come to Gotwoot, register, actually post and get involved and click on Psyke's link and talk about it. My friends who got me into anime, the site creators, other members and Psyke are all 'external influences'.