Understood.. and yes.. I have witnessed extreme poverty. But.. here's where your argument falls apart.. A person overcomes poverty by sheer will.. determination and desire.. Self doubt trumps them all...

@Starfodder BS
You do not overcome poverty by sheer determination or most of the world would be wealthy.

You need certain thing to even work, which poor might lack, that is why there is a cycle of poverty.

We can agree to disagree...

Precisely...

Why.. I do it all the time..

Very well written and stated.. I too am most fond of that Socrates quote and that is the purpose of my journey.. As I have said frequently.. Part of the problem for me is that I am awake and fully aware.. terminally self aware.. I feel everything.. I can't not.

And yet , there have been people who believed not only they could fly , but many others as well . And the planes go over my home daily .

@Cast1es Only they're not flying. They're being piloted by a guy who understands a machine that works with the physics of flight and aerodynamics. It utilizes speed, and lift, and even gravity. It can defy gravity, but only so long as those elements are at work. Something goes wrong, gravity then becomes the sole force, and that plane goes down, and most, if not all, die.

Belief has nothing to do with it. It's aerodynamics.

I think you may be confusing self doubt with introspection...

@Starfodder It's possible. But I don't think I am.
Lesley Hazelton: The Doubt Essential to Faith.
[ted.com]

We all have certain doubts about our abilities it's overcoming them and the willingness to go big or go home that really matters... My ex partner told me that I have no fear.. I said I do despite outward appearances.. Very fond of this quote.. "A man that fears nothing is a man who loves nothing.. and if you love nothing.. what joy is there in your life?" Sean Connery...

@Benthoven Whether we are in some kind of machine or not , we do fly . Admittedly , it's not a matter of flapping feathered wings . Nevertheless , man as a species has long envied the ability of birds to fly . Men have studied the aerodynamics of birds in flight , and learned from the shape of birds , how to make aerodynamically designed planes , kite suites , sails , and engineless lightweight aids to flying , jet planes that can fly heavy payloads and move faster than any other animal can fly , and even rockets , which can fly through the empty dark night of outer space .

@Cast1es But again, my point is: beliefs aren't the reason we fly. We fly because people, going back to Mesopotamia, have studied the world around us and how it works. We fly because somebody figured out how to use lift, thrust, drag, and gravity. We will always be subject to gravity. ALWAYS, regardless of what we believe. And again, every point you made only speaks to the importance of engineering and physicists. Without either, flight would not be possible.

@Starfodder We also have "beliefs" about our inabilities. Fear, in many ways, is a belief. If you're afraid of heights, it's probably because at some level you believe you are in danger: whether it's falling, or you're out of control, or an earthquake is going to come and knock the building over (beliefs are so subtle that we often don't realize they're operating).

What I'm saying is that we should have doubts: about our abilities, and our inabilities. It's doubt that's going to keep us from believing anything about ourselves that isn't true. Some of the best actors in the world still throw up before going on stage. It's that 'doubt' that keeps them working at their craft. Most of the worst actors in the world are absolutely sure of themselves.

Going back to my original statement. When I'm struggling with writer's block, I'm not struggling with doubt, I'm struggling with beliefs that I'm not good enough, or that my story isn't worth telling, or nobodoy's ever going to read my book... those are the beliefs the hurt me. So I introduce doubt into those beliefs... Suddenly I can move through it. But I gotta do this all the time.

@Benthoven In a word.. doubt...