We all fall into platitudes in order to lull ourselves into a place of knowing as opposed to the uphill position of ignorance.  Sometimes we create this knowledge from our own limited experiences.  Other times, we operate from a place of trust in the wisdom of those that came before, be they great thinkers, family members, friends, pastors or teachers. We all build a system of truths about the world we live in order to function, lest we spend our days in an existential stupor like a characters in a 19th century Russian novel.  I can speak with a certain amount of authority on what it is to grow up in North Dallas, but in reality, my experience is fairly specific and probably not altogether typical.  And so it goes with most people who believe theirs is the definitive experience because it is the only one that ultimately matters to them.  You can only trust the viewpoint of others up to a point because at the end of the day, your perspective is your own.

" Thougths of Calvino's Cities "