Life Lessons - The Forest of Doubt
By Corey Haag
There is nothing more detrimental to a person’s growth and wellbeing than fear, ignorance, confusion, and doubt.
Now we may examine the Forest of Doubt.
Doubt, I argue, is one of the most debilitating structures of the mind. The fundamental expression of self-defeatism is doubt.
Firstly, I must distinguish doubt from skepticism.
DOUBT
doubt (v.)
c. 1200, douten, duten, "to dread, fear, be afraid" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French doter "doubt, be doubtful; be afraid," from Latin dubitare "to doubt, question, hesitate, waver in opinion" (related to dubius "uncertain"), from duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two"), with a sense of "of two minds, undecided between two things." Compare dubious. Etymologically, "to have to choose between two things."
The sense of "fear" developed in Old French and was passed on to English. Meaning "to be uncertain, hesitate or waver in opinion" is attested in English from c. 1300. The transitive senses of "be uncertain as to the truth or fact of" and "distrust, be uncertain with regard to" are from c. 1300.
It replaced Old English tweogan (noun twynung), from tweon "two," on notion of "of two minds" or the choice between two implied in Latin dubitare. Compare German Zweifel "doubt," from zwei "two."
-https://www.etymonline.com/word/doubt
Doubt:
Verb-
a: to call into question the truth of : to be uncertain or in doubt about
Noun-
a: uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-making
b: a deliberate suspension of judgment
SKEPTICISM
skepticism (n.)
also scepticism, "the entertaining of mistrust, doubt, or disbelief," 1640s, from skeptic + -ism.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/skepticism
skeptic (n.)
also sceptic, 1580s, "member of an ancient Greek school that doubted the possibility of real knowledge," from French sceptique and directly from Latin scepticus "the sect of the Skeptics," from Greek skeptikos (plural Skeptikoi "the Skeptics, followers of Pyrrho"), noun use of adjective meaning "inquiring, reflective." This is related to skeptesthai "to reflect, look, view" (from a metathesized form of PIE root *spek- "to observe"). The name was taken by the disciples of Greek philosopher Pyrrho, who lived c. 360-c. 270 B.C.E.
The extended sense of "one with a doubting attitude, one who suspends judgment and holds that the known facts do not warrant a conclusion" is recorded by 1610s.
Skeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches as opposed to him who asserts and thinks that he has found. [Miguel de Unamuno, "Essays and Soliloquies," 1924]
https://www.etymonline.com/word/skeptic#etymonline_v_23599
Skepticism:
1: an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skepticism
While these definitions may tend to bring these terms closer together, I want to clarify the distinction. While doubt is etymologically a reference to fearfulness in choosing between two things, hesitancy, and two-mindedness, skepticism is a rational questioning of what is in front of him. A doubtful person makes no move because they are filled with uncertainty laced with fear or even dread. A skeptic makes no move until they have satisfied their questing into the presentment of some fact or object of their attention. They need not be fearful or uncertain, but rather they suspend judgement until they have uncovered a satisfactory proof of their questioning mind. The motivations and realities are different for each.
Skepticism is born of critical thinking, or otherwise called discernment. An old hag approaches you, warts on her nose, rags on her shoulders. She proffers an apple and says, “I have an apple for you. It is the most wonderful apple, it will take away all of your sorrow, and you will be in endless bliss.”
Knowing what you know about hags offering apples that will bring bliss, you might choose to avoid the apple. You were skeptical of the validity of the claim. You may have considered eating the apple, but weighed against the potential to be condemned to eternal sleep, you chose the best option.
A doubtful person may have found the same result, but the clarity of the choice would not have been from a place of firm decision making, but more likely avoidance. This person may have thought, “I don’t know if I should, so I won’t.”
Doubt is the act of sitting on the fence, static. You stroll into a forest, without noticing the forest. Once you realize you are lost, you begin to look around in all directions, spinning round and round. Without knowing which way to go, you go nowhere at all. If you do walk in any direction, each step is predicted to be incorrect, or at the least, uncertain as to be “the right way.” In this way, you continue to question yourself at every turn, unable to go forward, turn in any direction, or stay still, for even the stillness is uncertain.
The forest of Doubt grows thicker, denser, and larger the longer you remain within it.
You might think, “I’ll climb a tree and see where the forest ends.” But doubt prompts, “I won’t be able to.climb this tree, and even if I do, I wont be able to see over the other trees.” You never try, because doubt has already precluded the result.
Without trying you have predicted and acted upon the failure you foresee. You might even doubt your doubt, beginning an ever deepening spiral of paralysis.
Those lost in the Forest of Doubt soon are so accustomed to these conditions, that when they see others making clear, definitive, unburdoned decisions, they feel compelled to apply their doubt as a poultice to foolhardiness, as they see it.
Often, these people say, “that is impossible,” or “that is too difficult,” and other excuses to bog down the clarity in those around them. They see their doubt as a virtue.
As a free solo climber, I would have certainly been a dead man years ago had I been a doubting person. Doubting every hand placement, every movement, every breath.
Instead, without any training or practice of any kind, I made my entrance into free soloing based explicitly on my confidence and faith. Halfway up a cliff face, I'd hold on with one hand, lean out and give a joyful shout, breathing deep, relaxed breaths. Every time I needed a place for my hand or foot, it would be there, as if it was made just for me at that moment. There was no room for doubt between the thin air and my exuberant freedom and happiness.
Even in moments where others would get locked up, because something seemed impossible, I would calmly and patiently keep on investigating potentials in front of me. I would search out those options I may have missed before, move my body in a new way to achieve a better result. Without doubt, I was free to explore all the potentials before me, and in clarity of thought, relaxed in my body, act upon them.
Doubt is the killer of all potential. It is not silent like an assassin, but more like an overbearing parent, trying to protect you from everything until you are so boxed in and smothered you commit suicide or die by asphixiation.
You have dreams. You want to do amazing things in this life. Doubt precludes your failure before you take the first step. In The Hobbit, Bilbo is consumed by doubt, until by a series of circumstances largely outside of his conscious control, he finds himself in the middle of action that washes away his doubt lest he allow himself to die. He finds his Courage without realizing that he was ever in need of looking for it. That is doubts greatest weapon. The comfortable nothingness that it creates. In Truth, it is just a slow withering away of all that it means to be alive and human.
Doubt isn’t a consideration of variables. It is not a substantive logical process. It does not operate on memory and it is not a safety mechanism, like fight or flight. It does not occupy the same areas of skeptical or analytical mind. It does not listen to the intellect.
The antonym of doubt is a combination of Courage, decisiveness, Fortitude, and responsibility.
Courage to face the unknown present or future space or situation.
Decisive action that isn’t challenged or denied by immaterial obstacles.
Fortitude to maintain one’s course or stand by one’s decision despite the obstacles that present themselves.
Responsibility for one’s decision and all the ripples out from that decision.
You are doubting you can wake up in the morning without an alarm clock and a strong coffee. Thus you never try.
…until, one day you are so fed up with this belief, that you must challenge it, and yourself, to know the Truth.
You throw away your alarm clock and coffee maker. You decide to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. Your first morning is full of tardy awakening and grumbling, but you forge on. You realize eating late makes waking up difficult. you eat earlier dinners. Late nights, become early turn ins. Coffee becomes fruit smoothies. After a couple weeks, you realize working out in the morning gives you more energy and makes it easier to wake up. One month in, having made a decisive action, had Courage to step into the unknown, had the Fortitude to stay true to your decision, and the responsibility to remain accountable to yourself every step, you are waking up at 4 am every morning on your internal clock, working out, drinking a smoothie, eating dinner early, and going to bed earlier.
You have proven to yourself the Truth of the matter that was once just a dream that you dismissed before you ever even explored it.
Doubt is a murderer of dreams and human potential.
Never doubt yourself. Uplift yourself. Explore your true potential. Look for doubt and defeat it whenever you see it by decisive action and vigilant observation. Shine a light on the unknown parts of yourself and you will become a shining being for others.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? When you close your eyes, and look within, what do you see?
A Forest of Doubt?
Or a confident, Courageous, decisive, Fortitudinous, responsible, fully capable and potentiated human being?
Choose Freedom. Choose to burn down the Forest of Doubt.
Death before Dishonor means I will die before I give one iota of my life in slavery to the slavers.
Good Luck Freedom Fighters.
Blessings!
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