Contrast

“Shadow is the obstruction of light. Shadows appear to me to be of supreme importance in perspective, because without them opaque and solid bodies will be ill defined; that is which is contained within their outlines and their boundaries themselves will be ill understood unless they are shown against a background of a different tone from themselves.”

(Leonardo Da Vinci)

I find this a fitting description of life in general. How can we appreciate the good times if we never experience the bad? Can we know the existence of beauty if there is no ugliness to compare it with? How can we value the sweetness of laughter if we never taste the tears? The joy of being alive, to love and be loved, the gift of having a family and friends… how could we understand the importance of all these if we never experience the opposite?

No wonder there is a saying that goes: You don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Because it is true. That’s why regret never come beforehand, we can only compare after the facts. In life, we need shadow to see the light.