A Story Can Be True Without Being the Whole Explanation

Personal stories can show us what an experience felt like and what someone noticed. They can matter deeply without, by themselves, proving that the same thing happens to everyone—or explaining why it happened.

Try separating a story into three parts:

• What I observed: the specific words, actions or events I remember.
• What I made of it: the meaning I drew at the time.
• What I’m extending beyond it: any broader claim about people or causes.

This isn’t a way to put someone’s experience on trial. It’s a way to honor what the story can tell us while staying careful about what it can’t establish. The distinction leaves room for both meaning and further questions.