I realized my flashlight was actually blinding me from seeing what was beyond its stretch of beam. My flashlight only allowed me to see that which was in its light and blinded me from that which was outside it. My flashlight made the dark, darker.
As much as we believe in certain truths about the world, often times, these truths are not the full story. Our truths are informed by our experiences, but these truths are only one way of interpreting the world. We get within a limited box of beliefs about the world and who we are, and we miss out on the opportunity to see the world more broadly, calmly, with a clearer awareness. If we let go of out limiting assumptions, we are opening our eyes to that which lies outside the beams of the flashlight.
Though flashlights serve a purpose, when I turned off my flashlight, I was able to see the stars.
Some feelings are residual: not based on a current reality, but rather a perception and interpretation of reality in response to past experiences.
Values fluctuate. Just as your values have changed over time, so do the values of others. Accordingly, not everyone will value the same things as you, just as you no longer value certain things you used to value.
Your current perception of reality is not a necessary truth about the world. Other people might interpret the world in a different way, or even you might see the world differently in about 5 minutes.
Most of what I take at face-value to be truth is likely just a projection, an interpretation of "Reality" clouded by my own set of experiences.
Sometimes the memories are better than the experience itself.
Sometimes the memories feel worse than the experience itself.
For the most part, we likes things because we identify with them. However, "I identify with" is not the same as "better."
Infinite interpretations of reality exist.
It's possible and likely that a lot of the things you think you know, you really don't know.
Both positively and negatively are equally possible ways to interpret the same reality.