At many points in my education, I had the conviction that a smart person should learn the right way, the proven way and stick with it. However, it is becoming apparent that that may not be possible. Sometimes, the "right'-est way may be unknown. Often, there is more than one way to brush my teeth or be a husband or buy bananas and there is argument and reasoning in favor of multiple ways of proceeding. I can stick out my chest and act assured or I can confess to confusion and doubt but most of the time in connection with many issues, I can't show irrefutable proof that the path I am following is superior.
I have known more than one PhD who recalled the morning of their orals, a morning when they realized that very day, a committee of highly educated, sophisticated thinkers would question and prod and come to a decision as to whether they were indeed doctorate-level. When my step-father, a careful, rigorous and skilled thinker, stated that he didn't want to stop smoking, whether or not cigarettes were shortening his life, I thought he was being silly. Now, years later, I might decide that I will continue with habits that I like, or drop habits that health experts say I should continue. I am confident that I have reached an age where I am my best guide, using due consideration of course.
