Certainly. And this key fact is often realized after making strong assumptions, or giving certain beliefs and hypotheses a try. Even if the only outcome for you happens to be disenchant or disappointment. Although this disappointment is strongly related to your own previous expectations.

We can discuss for hours about methods, reasons, hopes and beliefs. And I'm game for that, just like you. The only bit we disagree in, for starters, is the idea that mysticism or drugs return nothing. If anything for sure, these are tools for knowing yourself. For some, that knowledge might appear at arrival. For most, it keeps appearing on the march. And that seems to be one the most important things you can do with your time, because self knowledge marks everything you do, alone or in company.

I know lots of people who are thankful for what they got; No matter what my experience was, I would never say there's nothing to get. At the most, I might say there's nothing I could find, or nothing I hoped to find. And that is a quite different thing.