I am sightly undone, in a good way

In the conclusion of A Swim in the Pond in the Rain George Saunders answers how are we altered by reading fiction  here’s a PDF  of whole book  

    I am reminded that my mind is not the only mind.

    I feel an increased confidence in my ability to imagine the experiences of other people and accept these as valid.

    I feel I exist on a continuum with other people: what is in them is in me and vice versa.

    My capacity for language is reenergized. My internal language (the language in which I think) gets richer, more specific and adroit.

    I find myself liking the world more, taking more loving notice of it (this is related to that reenergization of my language).

    I feel luckier to be here and more aware that someday I won't be.

    I feel more aware of the things of the world and more interested in them.

    So, that's all pretty good.

    Essentially, before I read a story, I'm in a state of knowing, of being fairly sure. My life has led me to a certain place and I'm contentedly resting there.

    Then, here comes the story, and I am slightly undone, in a good way. Not so sure anymore, of my views, and reminded that my view-maker is always a little bit off: it's limited, it's too easily satisfied, with too little data.

    And that's an enviable state to be in, if only for a few minutes.

    When somebody cuts you off in traffic, don't you always know which political party they belong to (that is, the opposite of yours)? But, of course, you don't. It remains to be seen. Everything remains to be seen. Fiction helps us remember that everything remains to be seen. It's a sacrament dedicated to this end. We can’t always feel as open to the world as we feel at the end of a beautiful story, but feeling that way even briefly reminds us that such a state exists and creates the aspiration in us to strive to be in that state more often.  (403)