It could be argued that there are a lot of other negative human characters that may indicate imperfections. But none is as damaging to the person as self-doubt. Something is wrong with a person if he lacks confidence and has a very low (or no) feeling of self-worth. These are conditions that may lead to failure and unhappiness.
In addition, philosophical or moral sin is a human act not in agreement with rational nature and right reason. (Hyde, 2018).
It is not considered reasonable to doubt one's capabilities. It is a person's moral obligation to believe in himself. It is not right to think one would fail even without really trying. He needs to have faith in God (if he happens to believe in one) and himself.
Allowing self-doubt to reign is depriving the self of discovering one's potential. When a person decides to doubt himself, he eradicates his ability to fulfill his goals and achieve his dreams.
Failures are indeed impossible not to happen. But even if one fails in several attempts to succeed he should decide not to stop trying. There's a long list of famous personalities (like Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, J.K. Rowling, Bill Gates, Walt Disney, and Henry Ford) who had their share of failures but never gave up.
But is self-doubt a self-inflicted injury?
"Sin also wounds the nature of man." This is what the Catholic religion asserts.
"Self-doubt destroys the heart, mind, body, and soul. It is one of the major obstacles to living the life that people truly deserve. This unhealthy food for the soul drags down a person's spirit, crushes his ambitions, and prevents him from achieving all he can (Thalk, 2013).
Doubt impedes a person's development. It is the biggest roadblock to self-actualization. Self-doubt prevents people from becoming the best they can be, from realizing their full potential, and from achieving their dreams. Shakespeare stressed, "Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." Doubt could possibly kill more dreams than failure ever did.
Some degree of self-doubt is generally held to be normal. It can be helpful in some cases, as it often leads to introspection and enhanced performance. But it may require medical help when it becomes debilitating, affects daily function, or impedes performance at work or school (Self-doubt, n.d.).
There's no immorality committed when one doubts himself. Why should it be then considered a sin?
This brings me to the last among my arguments to convince you that self-doubt is a sin.
A sin may either be a sin of commission or a sin of omission. Sins of commission are sins we commit by doing something we shouldn't do, and sins of omission are sins we commit by not doing something (Sins of Commission vs Sins of Omission, 2015). The seven deadly sins are all sins of commission except sloth.
Sloth – extreme laziness or the failure to act and utilize one's talents – is considered a sin of omission. I think self-doubt belongs to that category. If sloth made it to the list of deadly sins, self-doubt should be there also.
"Self-doubt" is just as damaging (perhaps more damaging) to a person than this sin called "sloth." In some instances, a person's failure to use his innate talents starts with his inability to believe in what he is capable of doing.
I hope that the arguments I presented above about self-doubt are convincing enough that from this point on, you will move as far away from it as possible.
Conquer your self-doubt and start to nurture self-belief, which I think is the key component of the value system of the few men and women who scaled the heights of success.
References:
Hyde, J. (2018). The book of sin: How to Save the World, UK: Soul Rocks Books
O'Neil, A.C. (1912). Sin. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved October 24, 2020 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm
Self-Doubt (n.d.). Retrieved from
Sins of commission vs sins of omission (2015) Retrieved from omission/
Thalk, C. (2013). Self-doubt destroys the heart, mind, body and soul. Retrieved from
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Stop Doubting Yourself
Non-FictionSelf-doubt is not just an ordinary flaw in a person's character. It's damaging and could ruin a person's life. It is an impotence of the human spirit that has grave consequences not only to the person having it but to the family where he belongs an...
