there is a whole ocean between the two

I suppose I have to say you are right, but why you felt it necessary to point this out is beyond me. No, I did not assume that my sentence was a re-phrasing of maverick's. His, to me, hearkens back to the time of discovery and assessment: as in, making observations and deciding whether the observed things do or do not make up part of a pattern.

I was pointing out something that we do in an attempt to make sense of our surroundings after an assessment has failed to accomplish this. Though, perhaps, I could have specified that. This is not the first time that my
unstated thought processes have led to misunderstandings.
Maybe I need to think about that some more.