Ironically, the people who are holding back on meditation because of doubt are the ones who stand to benefit the most from it. If you find yourself confused about how to be happy in this life, you are not alone. In fact the reason that insight meditation has become popular is because so many of us have doubts that a traditional lifestyle can bring us satisfaction.
This confusion arises due to doubt about the true path to freedom from suffering. There are many ways to try and solve these problems using discussion or logical reasoning but these cannot replace the impact of actually seeing for oneself whether a particular practice can work or not.
Insight meditation is unique as a spiritual practice because it serves two purposes simultaneously. First, it is a path leading away from suffering and towards happiness. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it is a way to confirm its own validity because it is an observation based practice.
The Buddhist approach to doubt is therefore to observe the doubt itself for what it is. When the mind examines doubt in all its facets and qualities, we can understand its true nature. We can see the cause of doubt, eventually the cessation of doubt and finally the path leading to the cessation of doubt. When the doubt subsides, an unconditional happiness will arise born of clarity and comprehension.