How Great A Certainty

Certainty of thought stands as the prerequisite of great accomplishments.  They are, by nature, rare and resist the effort expended toward their end.  Many begin a great task but stop short of the goal because of the many difficulties; certainty of thought remains essential to overcome them.  The men and women that change the world rid their minds of doubt to prove the reality of their certainties. Men of little consequence leave doubt untested and rest in uncertainty. Doubt has its place.  Certainty, without a foundation built upon questions stays nothing more than arrogance and will assuredly falter under its own weight.  However, resting in doubt will achieve nothing.

The belief in themselves and a certainty of their goal remains a key factor in the great discoveries throughout the ages of literary characters and historical characters. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein prevailed because of his certainty of the impossible. Against all odds, he so believes in his capability to create life from inanimate objects that all doubt escapes him. This certainty sustained the Christians of the early church: men and women with unwavering certitude. As kings and rulers persecuted them, butchering them for their beliefs, these men and women were resolute in their beliefs. The early Church Apostles throughout the ages followed their beliefs to their death. How great a certainty: to follow ones deepest convictions to the death, so that others may see this example and conform to the certain truth.  Certainty however, begins with doubt.

The world expects that a human should come to a conclusion about their beliefs.  During a majority of his life, C. S. Lewis was outspoken and confident in his atheistic belief system. After he read Malcolm Muggeridge’s book Conversion, a seed of doubt was planted. He spent diligent time testing the things he thought to be true, coming to the realization that he was entirely wrong.  This seed of doubt produced some of the most beloved works in modern Christian literature.  The point of C. S. Lewis’s life was that he never stopped thinking. Doubt pushed him to test the things he thought to be true. Consistently, he was testing the things he knew to be true. Doubt holds as a lazy resting place, and if left to itself, causes a man to stop thinking entirely. Life shouldn’t rest in doubt. Certainty abides as the stronghold in which men place their lives. Doubts acts as the beginning of certainty and will destroy the lives that dwell in it.

Contrary to the common belief of man, life stands short and passes easily. Therefore, one’s life ought to reject doubt and rather possess and rest in certainty of thought, making the most out of the brevity of life.  Certainty remains necessary to overcome the obstacles to achievement and meaning.  The opposite, doubt, lays the foundation for true and enduring certainty.  Perhaps more thinking, more doubting and more certainty stands as the way forward in this world.