This past Wednesday, my Literature and Philosophy class went to a production of John Patrick Shanley's play Doubt: A Parable. (A quick aside before I jump into the article, if you find yourself in Warwick looking for a good time I highly recommend this show, it was excellent!)

The show was set in the 1960s in a parish with a conflict between the priest and the Catholic school principal who was a nun. In order to not spoil the plot, I'll tell an abridged version of the story. The nun was thoroughly convinced of an incident she had no proof of, and if she made the accusation public, it could tarnish the priest's reputation. The major dilemma was that the nun had no proof, just her instincts, and there was no indication of the truth from the priest. Sister Aloysius, the principal, spent the entire production holding firm in her convictions, and finally, in the last scene, she broke down to another nun about her doubts.

I spent the majority of the play simultaneously wondering how Sister Aloysius could be so sure of just a feeling and wondering if I would ever be in such a situation. Would I ever have such a strong belief that I would be willing to defend it solely on the basis of my gut? There are so many things in my life I am unsure of, and I have so many doubts. I do not believe I have encountered a cause I believe in so deeply that it was immune to doubt. Older and wiser people have told me life was intended to be uncertain, and at my age doubt in my convictions is natural, because I don't know myself well enough to know my convictions.

I know what I believe to be right and wrong, but my instincts have never been the best. My first impressions of people are often wrong, mostly because I choose to take people at their word. I usually try and see the best in people, because I want them to see the best in me. After eighteen years, I have learned to not always take people at their word, but I still make the mistake of being too trusting.

This production made me reconsider the idea of a belief. If at the end of the day you had doubts, do you really believe what you believed at the beginning of the day? If Wars have been fought over different systems of beliefs, relationships suffer if the beliefs of two people are too different, and when a belief is shattered, it shakes you to your core. Every one of these issues was introduced within this play, which leads me to a belief I shared in the past I share again in confidence.

Theatre is a remarkable art which allows the audience and the actors to explore difficult topics and learn from the lessons of the playwright. The theatre is a space where one can question their beliefs and doubt themselves, with people around them to make them feel safe in their insecurity. One of my high school directors told us that the theatre was a place where ideas were meant to be questioned and a place where life was meant to be examined. A ninety-minute performance caused me to re-evaluate my standard of a conviction and the power of doubt. It was comforting to see at the end of the play, that even the most confident people doubt themselves at times because I doubt myself all the time.

The power of a play's message is truly remarkable, and I believe that without a doubt.