Doubting Your Doubts

In the Gar­den Story of old, if Eve had doubted the Tempter instead of doubt­ing God, we would all still be in some gar­den some­where. Sooner or later, it was des­tined that the jour­ney would begin any­way, but the les­son left behind was sim­ple: learn to doubt your doubts.

The sim­ple things you were told as a child still hold true: love one another; trust God; be fair to oth­ers; be gen­er­ous; work hard; play hard; live with all of the pos­i­tive enthu­si­asm that you can muster. Some­where along the way, cyn­i­cism presents itself. Doubts arise. “Flaws” (real or imag­ined) are shaken in your face, and your self-esteem takes a pummeling.

Doubt your doubts. Dis­tract your­self back into your life from your dis­trac­tions. Call every­thing into ques­tion that ham­pers the child within — the artist within — the cre­ator within — the humorist within…

Rise up within your­self at the cost of all con­for­mity and social accep­tance if nec­es­sary. The herd around you that sets the “rules” lives in fear and by fear — not by trust and love. Put the con­text back around the iso­lated “fact” that is used to trip you up. Read the heart of the per­son giv­ing the infor­ma­tion (it will be in the tone of voice…view ego with some suspicion).

Being hon­est means look­ing for all of the facts and not turn­ing the part into the whole (one of many forms of spir­i­tual and intel­lec­tual lazi­ness). Blame blame. Mir­ror back the neg­a­tive to the neg­a­tive — but do so as a neu­tral mir­ror. Let illu­sion see itself as its own ghost. Ques­tion the ques­tion, and then go on hap­pily into the mys­ter­ies of life like a child at Disneyland.