An analogy for personal experience as evidence of novelty
“A couple of years ago, I boarded a deep sea fishing boat for 3-hour excursion.
Winds were moderate and the water rough.
Within the first 10 minutes, motion sickness set in. I knew the boat couldn’t turn around and that I’d made a huge mistake in a) drinking a lot of coffee beforehand, and b) not taking Dramamine.
It was the worst 3 hours of vomiting in my life—indeed, the worst 24 hours of illness I’ve ever experienced. I said, out loud, numerous times, “I am going to die.” When dolphins were leaping out of the water, I couldn’t even look
I puked in the car ride back to the beach house, at the house, and several times throughout the night. I feel nauseous right now just thinking about that day.
I wasn’t the only one who got sick on the trip. All but a few passengers – one a cadet at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and another my ten-year-old daughter – barfed at least once. The crew were fine (of course).
Needless to say, based on my then-new experience being on a vessel smaller than a cruise ship many miles from the coastline, I can’t recommend anyone go on deep sea fishing trip. Certainly not on a windy-ish day with choppy seas.
But, what if I said that there was something unique and unusual about the ocean waters that day? Or insisted the boat had a design that spiked the propensity of passengers to retch over the rails? Or argued that the captain must have been navigating in a negligent manner, or drunk, and needs his license taken away? All because I WAS THE SICKEST I’VE EVER BEEN AND OTHER PEOPLE WERE REALLY SICK TOO, DARN IT!
What would you say to me?
Continue reading The Sickest I’ve Ever Been