The Comfort of the Known Curve
The projector hums with a low, mechanical whine that vibrates through the laminate table, a steady 42 decibels of false confidence. In the dimly lit room, the risk management team is pointing at a line that hasn’t curved significantly in 12 years. They are smiling. It is the kind of smile you see on people who have just checked the weather forecast from three days ago and decided they don’t need an umbrella today.
Accounts processed in this sector since 2012, according to the promise of history.
‘We have processed 802 accounts in this specific sector since 2012,’ the lead analyst says, his voice dripping with the authority of someone who believes history is a promise. ‘We have never seen a systemic default event here. The probability of a sudden collapse is mathematically negligible.’
Locked Out: The Phantom Weight of Routine
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I sat there watching the red laser dot dance across the screen, feeling the phantom weight of my car keys in my pocket-except they weren’t in my pocket. They were currently dangling from the ignition of my sedan in the parking lot, 32 yards away, behind a locked door. I had performed the ritual of exiting that car 5002 times. My experience was vast. My expertise in ‘leaving a car’ was, by any metric,
