Exactly: the *abstraction* of a cloud (it being an ominous thing, with non-silver sides) is what we imagine has a silver lining: the physical cloud itself has no sides, and no lining.
Not if the sun isn't shining on it.
The analogy and correlation is that of our awareness and consciousness shining light on our life situation, which might be very cloudy indeed.
And my point is that the ability to shine light is dependent upon first viewing the cloud in a bad light.
Yes, and [dark] clouds are often represented as someone having a bad time, with the sun coming through later as a sign of things going better.
