“You know that you're better than you were when you see the flaws of the old you. An inability to recognize your own flaws reveals that you are not yet above them; that you are still caught up in your own wrong ways.”

Growth changes the way the past looks. A habit or belief that once felt reasonable may later appear clearly harmful because the mind viewing it has moved beyond it.

Seeing the old flaw is therefore evidence of distance. The person no longer needs to defend the choice in order to defend themselves. They can admit what was wrong and keep the lesson without returning to the old identity.

When every past action still has to be justified, part of the old way may still be in control. Growth makes honesty safer. It allows a person to recognize who they were without being trapped there, and to measure change by what they can now see and choose differently.