Losing things

Dad: We must examine the process of losing things.
Me: Why?
Dad: Think about it. Somewhere along that process, if you broke it down, you'd find the exact moment, reason, and way you lost something. You lost something important, something that mattered. You failed.
Me: ...
Dad: Well, you'd probably be able to stop it next time.

No, I probably couldn't. It's not exactly something you can get back, is it?
And I didn't lose it all on my own, you know...