In the Bible, there is the well-known story of the apostle Thomas, a man who doubted the resurrection of Christ. He tried to look for evidence by saying, “...unless I see the wounds on His hands, I will never believe.” Of course, we know that his Master eventually showed Himself to Thomas and let him touch and feel His hands. He also said – “...you believe because you have seen Me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe…”

We are beset by many doubts in our existence. This may be due to our desire to make sense of the environment we are in. Humans are naturally inquisitive, looking for reasons in things. However, there are also times when we throw away all reason and jump in without thinking much. Love, for example, makes us do this.

Scientific reasoning and the instilling of doubt makes us question how things are done, and this makes us understand things better and innovate. In the case of vaccine development, we are now beset with doubts on its efficacy. There are also discrepancies in the research findings for the vaccines, but will this stop us from procuring them?

We may not have much of a choice given the existing circumstances.

Doubts are part of how we humans are wired to decipher and comprehend what is in existence. It is this inquisitiveness and critical thinking that separates us from other animals. It is also our curse, when we second guess ourselves due to external influences. Sometimes we just need to follow our gut and hope for the best.

To erase doubt, one has to find out the consistency of outcomes. Will it be the same even if the process were to be repeated? This we can see by the number of samples analyzed, or the number of witnesses who testified to the veracity of the event. The facts that can be gathered must also be subjected to scrutiny before they are disseminated to ensure that they are authentic. This is how we are able to counter the effect of fake news.

Now, there are situations where doubt is instilled. Fake news items are one, and they can be particularly harmful to the uninitiated. The irresponsible spread of misinformation creates a scenario of disbelief that can poison the efforts of those seeking for truth. This is why those with knowledge and integrity must work doubly hard to dispel these non-truths. It is these people with integrity whom we must believe and not those who seek to spread chaos and uncertainty.

Another thing that can provide the seeds to remain doubtful is the inconsistency of decisions and outcomes. When there is a discrepancy in the things that are said and done, there will be doubts, and it would take more effort to correct the fallacy. Just think about how inconsistencies in relationships can spell doom for couples or business partners. We must make every effort to analyze these outcomes not just based on singular findings, but on how consistently they come out.

Finally, there is always a science to reason based on logical-mathematical reasoning. In the eyes of an ordinary individual, some facts may be twisted by emotions or biases. But science can remove those blinders, making the results more objective and believable. The progress that we now have in the medical field is brought about by this untiring adherence to the scientific method. If medicine did not progress to become more evidence based, who knows what kind of treatments we may be made to suffer all because of some unfounded practice? Science has made the art of treating disease result in better outcomes.

But science can remove those blinders, making the results more objective and believable.

However, where science ends, there is this one aspect that can erase doubt. Thomas experienced this. And we have too. The overwhelming love that we experience can erase all doubts as to what is truly essential.