Something to Compare To:

An Explanation

Ever seen someone waiting to pull out onto a road. And waiting, and waiting, and waiting, until another car comes by, and only then do they pull out?

Curious, eh?

Not really. We estimate things by comparing them with something similar. I have heard it called a "datum of comparable magnitude."

Well, if you are excessively tentative and uncertain of your own perception, how do you establish that a condition of "no car coming" exists?

Easy: you've got to wait 'till you have seen a car to compare it to.

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