Joseph Gergen Works

After my recent piece about not having doubt, I sensed there was some idea that my not having doubt meant I have it all figured out. Which is not an unfair reaction and may have rankled some folks. That was certainly not my intention (the road to hell is littered with good intentions, as they say).

So just to get it out there: I don’t have it all figured out.

I am not even trying and certainly don’t expect to ever figure it all out. Perhaps not having accepted that burden allows me to not doubt. I am just postulating here at some reasons for lacking doubt, since I certainly haven’t figured out and probably never will figure out why this is so.

And then there is the notion of surety that you have it absolutely right. You see the abuse of surety by experts and consultants who are giving you an answer with such surety that you hesitate to doubt them.

I do not have that type of surety. It’s a lie, because except in the most simple of cases there are too many variables to consider and too many variables you don’t control. But how can you lack doubt without being sure, you ask.

Well, it’s like this. I am sure that I have done my best. I take what I know or can learn given the time allotted and apply what emotional and intellectual capabilities that I have at the moment. That’s all I can do. I cannot control what happens after that. I don’t know what will happen. But isn’t that doubt, you ask.

No, it’s not. I hesitate to call it wisdom (since I will be called arrogant for hinting I might have some), but I think it’s wisdom.

But having wisdom doesn’t stop you from getting it wrong or from failing. You learn to think, well that didn’t work. You stay humble and take the moment to grow and try again.

So perhaps the key to having no doubt is knowing that this process of growing doesn’t have any use for doubt. No doubt.