The Reality Distribution

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We construct our view of reality from a remarkably narrow slice of experience.

A survey of college students revealed that 90% were dissatisfied with their appearance—a statistical impossibility for "abnormality" if words like "normal" and "average" have any meaning at all. Yet this distorted self-perception persists across the general population.

Our personal experiences, though just a fraction of what happens in the world, form the foundation of how we believe it works. When John F. Kennedy was asked about the Great Depression, he admitted, "I have no first-hand knowledge of the Depression. My family had one of the great fortunes of the world, and it was worth more than ever then." While millions of Americans suffered profound hardship, Kennedy's experience included "bigger houses, more servants," and his father "hiring extra gardeners just to give them a job."

With every significant event comes not a single reality but a distribution of experiences—and we often forget where on that spectrum our own perspective falls.