By Doubt I Learn, By Conviction I Live

Doubt, by John Patrick Shanley, is prefaced by the author's brilliant portrayal of his own beliefs and thoughts about society and humanities ability to doubt and why we do so.  The play is Shanley's picture of that doubt through a real life scenario.  Although, before diving into the story you must spend time on the preface, acknowledging his statements and deciphering them. I find it very interesting when he says that society has found comfort in the "chatter" of everyday life and in someways hidden behind it.  People are so busy arguing their points, that they ignore the fact, that just maybe, they could be wrong.  They ignore the feeling they get in their stomach when they have argued a point that it's logical end and begin to question how accurate it was to begin with.  That is doubt.  In the preface it almost seems at some point that Shanley is claiming that conviction and passion are weakness.  The act of doubting "requires more courage than conviction does, and more energy; because conviction is a resting place, and doubt is infinite-"  He also comments that the church is weak because they have huddled together under a common belief to simply believe.  They all found the common ground and lifestyle, which brought them together, but by doing so they made themselves vulnerable to the outside world and "predators".  The trust believers have built up, according to Shanley, is what in reality will make them crumble.  The church in some instances maybe weak, by some standards, because of their convictions, but those same convictions also make them strong.  What sets the church apart from the world is that they do have a set of beliefs, and those beliefs in some cases can help them through circumstances and sufferings; the God that they believe in also brings them comfort.  When they world around them falls apart for lack of truth or direction, those with conviction have strength and directions.  Strength because their convictions are truth. Direction because by truth they are guided.  It also seems that Shanley expects people to doubt constantly, and that to do otherwise would be wrong.  I disagree.  I think that what he so strongly communicates is the idea that not doubting will only cripple you.  He shows the faults in naively living life without questioning; to hold onto a certain belief to the point of losing sight.  He may say that doubt takes more courage than conviction because it is infinite, but the process of reaching conviction is the same.  It is seeing the faults in your beliefs and working through them so that your convictions only gain strength.  To be filled with conviction is no fault.  In fact, to live everyday, I believe convictions hold us together, but what enables us to live out those convictions with passion is acknowledging our doubts, while letting them shape the beliefs that control our lives.