Having Faith In My Instincts by Amanda

Having Faith In My Instincts by Amanda - September 2020 Scholarship Essay

I often spend quiet moments pondering the grey areas of truth. To depict this concept, one subconsciously notes that leaves are green. However, the pigments in leaves merely reflect light that falls along a certain wavelength, which happens to appear green. Therefore, can color really be an innate attribute to the leaf when leaves actually absorb red light? This concept speaks to the binary or even multipolar nature of truth.
Thinking in these terms has been both a blessing and a curse during peer interactions. As social situations become increasingly digital, I am forced to rely on my own interpretation of my friends’ words without being guided by their voice’s inflections. When my study buddy, George, responds to my texts with “Sure,” I can never definitively ascertain his true feelings about my request to study. Whether he conveys passive agreement or genuine enthusiasm, I am actively learning to put semantics aside and have trust in my own ability to understand others. This school year, I want to make sure that, regardless of my intellectual insecurities, I will apply for college and chase success with utmost confidence in myself.
Every scientist must go into their field knowing some of their unanswered questions will outlive them. For instance, investigators put trust into theories when experimenting despite an acknowledgement that theories are not 100% verified. Likewise, the substance of certainty and doubt are distinct in nature, though they unite along an inversely proportional spectrum: when one doubts a truth, they have certainty of falseness which invalidates that truth. Despite a myriad of intellectual grey areas, I am becoming okay with trusting my instincts and embracing the vulnerability in being wrong.