Booth asked long long long long ago if we would rather live in a world full of people brimming with self-confidence, or a world with self-doubting people. The reason i'm bringing this up is that i realise i'm in the former.
Booth argued that such a world is much less than perfect, and i can see why. Simply because people can't agree, and because they're so sure in their conviction, they seem to be unable to see the other's point of view. I agree with him. In my opinion its silly. ridiculously. Because by seeing another's opinion you gain more than by stubbornly closing the door on the other view. You gain an alternate viewpoint, you expand your horizons. Conversely, by being so sure of oneself, one is bound to try to impress one's viewpoint on others, thus being a source of conflict. Such self-confidence can sometimes lead to misplaced passion that is blinding and dangerous.
Which is why i'm happy to be a self-doubting person i guess. To be Silas. To be young and impressionable, able to learn from others, because of a sense of self-inadequacy. Others may feel its weak, indecisive, and fickle. I disagree, because i feel that only when you are able to see both sides of the issue, can you fully appreciate the subject as a whole. Besides, sometimes conceding is the only way out of a conflict, especially with the above said people.
But its dispassionate as well. In the end I never really feel strongly about anything, or anyone. Because when you see the maggots crawling through the bark, even the trunk seems to lose some of its magnificence.
I borrowed that last metaphor from a book. But its a nice metaphor anyway. Don't you agree?