The picture of Earth from space. The first time it was captured it shocked everyone. A sudden shift of perspective that put everything in context. The relativism of realizing that everything that has ever happened took place in that floating marble in the middle of nowhere.
How quickly the shock subsided! The half-life of life altering shifts is fast. We’re programmed for immediacy—our attention quickly zooming in to make our insignificant problems fill the frame.
If we want those impressions to last, we must soak in them daily and for years. Slowly, they permeate our reason, and enter into some unconscious space that is mysterious and protected. By the time you have imprinted them, they are no longer shocking but part of a new normal—one that grounds you with the assurance of truth. That truth is obvious and available to anyone, but it’s not present for those that did not do the daily practice.
You did not become smarter, but your frame of reference became bigger. That gives you the advantage of looking at things within a broader context. That is clarity.