The stars in a constellation can be wildly far apart. They only look like a team from where you’re standing.

A pattern can be entirely a product of where you are standing. Those stars have nothing to do with one another, and the shape exists only from here. Groups of people work the same way, which is why a friendship group or a family can look seamless from across a room while the distances inside it are enormous.

When you next feel shut out of a group that looks tight, remember you are seeing the outline and not the gaps. Talk to one person in it on their own, and notice how different it looks from there.