As we try to make sense of the world, there are a number of rules about the way the world works that we normally (if unconsciously) follow. They’re like laws of physics for stories. For example, we know: Time: The present does not change the past. The present influences, but does not determine, the future. Specificity: Being lousy at one thing does not make us lousy at unrelated things. Being lousy at something now doesn’t mean we will always be lousy at it. People: If one person doesn’t like us it doesn’t mean that everyone doesn’t like us. Even a person who doesn’t like us usually likes some
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