I thought I was asking people to review the book.
One of them ended up reviewing me.
During my interview with Madison, we returned to Madison's Rule—the no-electronics dinner rule she had introduced years earlier.
Book 1 already told that story.
This time, the important part was what happened when Madison corrected my memory of how well I had followed it.
Near the end of the interview, I said, “I observe your rule for the most part. I think I was pretty religious about that.”
Madison laughed.
“Sure! I think there's some confirmation bias!”
That was funny. It was also revealing.
I genuinely remembered myself as cooperative.
Madison remembered something different.
Her memory was not automatically right and mine wrong. Memory is imperfect. Two people can live through the same moment and remember it differently.
But I had asked for her perspective.
If I only accepted the parts that made me look good, then I was not really asking for feedback. I was asking for confirmation.
So I left it in.
It made me look a little worse.
I think it made the book better.