This is well put. I've thought the same many times, and it is so hard to reason. Programming, at it most basic, is an expression of creativity. Lacking programming i would crave another outlet. But programming for years quite literally changes the way you think about problems, so it is hard to say what you would be like without it.

I suppose cooking might have actually been the best avenue. I find that the more i cook the more i draw parallels. It's quite associative and borderline object-oriented. I watch cooking shows where a dish is mentioned and the chef immediately starts building a menu in his head. It reminds me of when someone asks a programmer to design a blog/website/etc.