When everything we think and feel and do seems completely clear and right, we are really in big trouble. We may have bought into a cult-like system of beliefs that assures us that life can be lived in the absence of contradictions. If so, the cure can be worse than the disease.

Another sort of reassuring trap, though this one is not usually supported by others, is having and inflated sense of confidence. This has to be kept in place by pride and rigidity in order to protect us from the threatening awareness of just how little we know for sure.

Whatever way we became so sure of everything we believe, the best antidote is confusion and uncertainty. Without this “holy insecurity,” our beliefs go untested, and we are unable to learn anything new. Just as religious doubts can strengthen faith in God, self-doubt can clarify our outlook and encourage more realistic confidence in our self.

Confusion can be just what we need to help clarify our thinking.