You're comparing your rainy-day fund to a promised safety net. One is yours; the other is paperwork. Build the cushion you can actually touch.

The thought behind it

This line takes the other person out of the frame, because the comparison was never a fair one to begin with. The Honest Mirror trades reassurance for accuracy, on the theory that accuracy is the kinder of the two. Read it again for “19”. That is the point at which observation turns into a decision.