4 September 2014
Period 7, AP Lang
Ms. Burke
The argument between certainty and doubt is highly controversial. Despite the side that people have accustomed themselves to, there are still pros and cons to both. A person’s doubt can easily distract them from reaching their full potential, while it can also aide in making a more realistic and achievable decision because with doubt they are able to question their abilities and eliminate the options that aren’t as feasible. Whereas certainty can misguide someone into the delusion of great powers, it can also assist them in attaining a massive success because they are giving themselves the option of fathoming an idea so great that initiates a surge of passion that tells them they can achieve such greatness. Despite the seemingly equivalent pros and cons between doubt and certainty, certainty is definitely the best mindset to have when trying to find triumph in one’s life.
Isaiah Stock, an APLAC student at University of North Carolina, said, “Think of certainty and doubt as parts of an automobile. Certainty is considered to be the accelerator, while doubt is the steering wheel. You can get nowhere without driving --certainty—but without steering through the impediments in your way --doubt—, you will surely crash and burn.” Again, emphasizing the crucial balance between doubt and certainty, this metaphor is an almost acceptable depiction of how they work together because yes, without certainty one is likely not going to get very far in life and without doubt an individual is likely to fail. This metaphor is accurate in all its parts, but it is missing one important aspect and that is that failure is not the end and can only help to guide someone to make better fitted decisions. So with that in view, having the mindset of certainty is clearly a more efficient way of finding success.
One could say that “having doubt is a part of human nature, that from birth we are curios [and that] to question anything