Before epilepsy was understood to be a neurological condition, people believed it was caused by the moon, or by phlegm in the brain. They condemned seizures as evidence of witchcraft or demonic possession, and killed or castrated sufferers to prevent them from passing tainted blood to a new generation.
It’s incredibly difficult for most people to accept. I was in third grade when I first got into an argument with my friends because I proposed this to them. Twenty years later I still end up having the same debate. Even otherwise intelligent people refuse to give up their illusion of agency.
When people say this makes life meaningless, I’ve tried to explain to people that they still enjoy the suspense and surprise of a movie despite knowing it was filmed in the past. But I always told “that’s not the same”.