Doubt

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.

Albert Einstein

Doubt is defined as a feeling of uncertainty, or lack of conviction.

To understand an emotion or state of mind everyone has experienced, maybe it’s necessary to comprehend doubts opposite?  Faith, courage, perseverance, determination are all values or qualities that make sense. 

Doubt does serve a useful purpose, right?  Well, let’s explore what happens when we live in doubt.  Inertia or stagnation takes place.  This is the opposite of enthusiasm or zeal.

When perceiving the world with doubt, how does it make you feel? For me, fear or disbelief in myself or abilities comes to the forefront of consciousness.  As one operates from a viewpoint of doubt, pessimism begins to flourish. 

In an earlier article, I explained that optimism rallies the body or spirit into motion or movement.  Almost nothing of great value has been accomplished without the attitude of optimism.

Doubt really can paralyze the mind-body relationship and move an individual into a state of depression.  It is unhealthy physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally to engage for a prolonged period of time in this frame of mind. 

Why then, if this is known do we do it? Why sometimes do we dwell extensively in this emotion?  Habit. Yes, mental habit or conditioned response. My imagination is captured by a memory.

The mind is a broadcast sending and receiving station of the universe.  There is one Mind that runs or rules this universe of ours.  Maybe you doubt this fact, but we do live in a justly ordered universe of progression. 

In this world, man’s brain has evolved over a millennia to expose dangerous threats to the species.  This may be complicated but what I really mean is, through the evolution of consciousness we have adapted to a pain pleasure principle of the mind.

When confronted with a mental construct based in the mind or perceived in the outer experience, instantly or automatically the brain as if by quick reflex fully captures our imagination, and consequently, by the spoken or silent word, manifests itself into reality.

Yes, you may be asking, what does all this have to do with doubt?  Doubt is an essential function of the mechanism of the brain.  We must experience doubt to prevent real life dangers. Yet, it is vital to not crystalize, or live in a state of doubt for a prolonged period of time.  As stated earlier, this leads to stagnation, or death. Death is the end, or is it the beginning?  Let’s leave that for another discussion.

It is perfectly suffice to say that doubt has its beneficial qualities in decision making. However, if action or movement forward is the goal, then it does have negative consequences.  

Today, I doubted for a brief moment, whether I was to write an article at my prescribed time of the day.  I felt this thought or emotion capture my imagination for an instant and I resolutely made the decision to write; even though I doubted my knowledge, or ability to make the time to fulfill the conditions I have set for myself to write consistently.  This belief or urge propelled me to take action in spite of everything my mind was trying to excuse away.

It is useful to have doubt, yet it is useful to be responsible and accountable for one’s behavior.  Luckily, once the decision was made, half of the excuse or doubt was dissolved. That left me with the other half to change my focus, and optimistically commit to this writing exercise.  The mind is a goal seeking cybernetic mechanistic muscle.  It strengthens like any muscle with resistance and strain.  Fear is courage holding on for a minute longer.  Use doubt to assess the situation, then decide-act.  

When the decision is reached, half of the doubt has vanished, leaving you with the opportunity to tackle the other half. I believe this is why decisions are so hard to make sometimes, because I want to bite the whole elephant instead of just one smaller section.

The most remarkable things happen in your life when you can trust the process of life and the evolutionary dynamic of the brain and spirit. In the space between thought and feeling is your freedom to move past your doubt. We get to choose.