What do Harriet Tubman, Albert Einstein and the Wright brothers have in common? They all doubted. Tubman doubted that slavery was necessary and became one of America’s most influential abolitionists. Einstein doubted his high school principal who said he “would never amount to anything” and developed the General Theory of Relativity. The Wright brothers doubted that mankind was never meant to fly and became the first people to successfully fly an airplane.
Ever since you were born, your family, friends, society and the media have poured into your life, so much so that some would say you are the product of your environment. But, eventually, you realize the people you thought knew it all really don't. A tiny whisper in the back of your mind asks if everything you take for granted is a lie. Then a stern voice silences the whisper and makes you feel guilty for questioning such things. You’re supposed to be sure of yourself, right? So you suppress your doubts.
If this describes you, then I have some encouraging news. You don’t have to know everything! No one does. No one can. In fact, many things that you know are probably wrong. Remember when you realized that chocolate milk doesn’t come from brown cows? Well, I sure do, and it was a huge blow to my ego. But not knowing things shouldn’t be a bad thing; it's exciting to know that you can always learn!
If you want to learn what is true, then listen to that whisper of doubt. Philosopher René Descartes said, “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” If you’ve never doubted what you believe, then how do you know it’s true?
You might know that you’re right because you can refute any opposing view that comes your way. But that isn’t seeking the truth. That’s just being sure of yourself. You know how the old proverb goes, “Blind faith is to believe beyond the shadow of a doubt. But reasonable faith is to believe in the light of a doubt.” OK, I really just made that up, but the point is: you can’t just know things. When you encounter a view that opposes yours, try to understand it from its own point of view. This involves a lot of reading, thinking, and talking to others about their beliefs.
It's a lot of work to doubt your beliefs, so why bother? For one thing, you will have that tiny whisper of doubt that won’t shut up. But even worse, you might actually be wrong! Think about that.
But if you doubt, then aren’t you at risk of losing your faith? If you’re worried about the security of your faith, you ought to know that doubt makes faith stronger. Refining your faith is like developing a scientific theory. Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity held up against much scrutiny and is now one of the most useful theories in physics. Yet it is incomplete and scientists are working on it today, always learning about the complexity of the universe. Likewise, your faith becomes a useful explanation of the world around you after careful scrutiny, and you will continue to learn as it develops.
Of course, doubt is only useful when you do something about it. Lingering in the same doubts forever won’t get you anywhere. Doubt should inspire curiosity and motivate you to seek the truth. When you know the truth, you will be a light to the world like Tubman, Einstein, and the Wright brothers. Follow in their footsteps, and give yourself the benefit of the doubt.
What do you believe in? Your worldview? Your political views? Your dietary habits? Your education? Your money? Have you doubted? Maybe it’s time to believe in doubt and doubt belief. This may seem backwards, but if we don’t do this, then we are backwards. Doubt is moving forward.
