It's the difference between having the gun in your hand and one to your back.  It's the difference between getting the bear and the bear getting you.  It's the difference between being the man and being beaten down by the man.  control.  if you have it, the road is yours.  if you don't, you're just another stain on the highway.  and, sometimes, don't we all get just a little sick of staring at the oncoming headlights?  in the movies they have a protagonist who desires something.  then, unless it was written by idiots, they make that hero flawed so that the goal seems out of reach.  they call the ensuing struggle "conflict".  great for movies, not so great for real life.  sure, if it was all smooth sailin we'd probably all jump out of the boat, but sometimes fighting the typhoon gets a little old.  that's what dim bulb comics is for.  letting you enjoy the image of a flying cow as a tornado rips through your neighborhood.  giving you a chance to laugh at your fellow passengers on the titanic.  just 'cause the big lizard ate the guy standing next to you doesn't mean that you're next.  maybe it just means that you're luckier than you think.  maybe it means that you really had control all along.  of course...if you admit that...you should probably quit whining and enjoy the ride already.