The absence of something that reveals the value of the opposite, that is, the presence of the opposite that brings a profound finding and that is not easily understood if it were not for this discovery. What follows explains this recursive thought.
I have had headaches in the latter part of my adult life, gradually introduced into daily life, originated mostly in the workplace. Until then, a headache was an abstract notion that I did not understand deeply; of course, I could relate to it when people said they had a headache just as I could relate to a toothache. But I never fully understood it.
Then came a point in time, a strong headache not only developed but also sustained itself and began repeating regularly, sometimes when it was triggered, other times when there were no apparent reasons.
During that long and worrisome period spanning a few years, I was able to troubleshoot the headache mechanism and identify the triggers. That was a big discovery which allowed me to eliminate headaches to a great extent or, at the very least, control them.
That vigilance continues to this day where I can detect headaches early and avoid them. However, there are occasions where my wife applies home remedies and I sometimes take Advil to overcome severe headaches. And this new state has revealed something much bigger than the problem it solved. The absence of headaches unveils the state of mind we take for granted.