What it is
Our personal experience is a tiny fraction of what happens in the world, and it becomes the foundation for how we think the world works. One survey found 90% of college students dissatisfied with their appearance, which is statistically impossible if “normal” means anything.
John F. Kennedy was once asked about the Great Depression. He admitted he had no firsthand knowledge of it: his family’s fortune was worth more than ever then, and his experience was bigger houses and more servants. Millions were suffering. He lived in a different distribution.
How it shows up for me
It’s why I try to write “in my experience” and mean it. My slice is real, and it’s a slice.