Welcome to the board!
Not the writing, certainly. In my frame of mind at the time it just seemed depressing--should one always see the world for "what could have been" rather than what is? I realize that this probably runs counter to your intentions--I think you are saying that you should take every opportunity to look to what the good effects will be in the future.
I am taking what you wrote to heart, since I tend to be that person who would take the days or weeks it takes to do it myself when there is something out there that will do what I want better and more cheaply in the long run. Sometimes it's for the learning experience, and sometimes it's because I think I can't afford "the real thing." It's an interesting philosophical idea, I just think that if I spent all my time wondering "what could have been" I wouldn't get anything done!
Good article though, and I'm glad it made me think!