This article about skepticism reminded me of a process I went through. Basically I found skepticism to be a crutch, a way to stay within your own belief system and never challenge yourself. It's much easier to be closed-minded than open-minded. But what is the point of a life lived like that? It makes it much harder to grow and be happier. And as the article says, so what if you're open-minded to a belief that turns out to be wrong, when you're also open-minded to other, possibly contradictory, ideas? It just shows that skepticism is rooted in fear of the unknown or fear of being wrong. That being said, it's probably a good first step for someone coming from a background of fundamentalist religion. This also has good thoughts.

When I meditate, my mind always tries to bring up things I "have" to think about. It tries to make a case for why I should let myself think about it for just a minute. It's just a lie... there is always something else. I used to hear out my arguments. Since I came back from MN, something shifted. No more--as soon as I catch myself listening to these arguments, I snap back to my mantra. There is never a good reason to even hear out my argument for why I "have to" listen. It's all a game, and I'm tired of it. I'm starting to catch myself doing this in everyday life, too.