An event happened recently which prompted me to delve deeper into the difference between believing something is true and knowing it’s true.
Here’s my takeaway. See if it resonates with you.
When I believe something is true, this belief lives outside of me. It may feel real enough for me to touch it or see it. I may proclaim it by wearing a slogan emblazoned T-shirt or by using a mug imprinted with its words.
It may live very close by. It may even sit right next to me.
But the belief remains outside of me. There’s a space between me and the belief.
In addition to this, what I believe is true may change upon gaining a different perspective or gathering new information. It may be altered by time or a new level of understanding.
Yet when I know something is true, it takes up residence inside me. It soaks into my skin. It settles in my bones. It’s absorbed by my cells.
This truth is then my truth. It’s a part of who I am. I no longer feel the need to wear the T-shirt to proclaim it, although I’ll certainly still use the mug. It’s my favorite mug after all.
But really, this truth-filled knowing in and of itself is enough.
It’s more than enough.
Knowing deep within myself that something is true both humbles and empowers me. It’s a truth that’s constant and unchanged by events. It’s timeless.
And if this truth-filled knowing is eternal and timeless I bet it has been inside me all along.
It just needed to be uncovered.
How does believing feel to you? Does knowing feel the same or different?
As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Thank you for reading.
acuriousfirefly, © 2022
a curious firefly 
❤ that mug!
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❤️❤️❤️
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Great post. And that mug is hilarious!
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Thanks Heather! 🙂
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Thank you for raising such a thought-provoking question! I wonder if “knowing” is based on evidence. If I knew that cockroaches were the most survivalist creatures on Earth, and then learned, as I have that water bears could survive an ice age and even a visit to space, I’d then know that water bears are the #1 most survivalist creatures on Earth. That would imply that what we know is subject to change. Is belief subject to change in a similar way?
What I do know is that that mug is adorable 🤓
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Haha! Thanks! It is my favorite mug. 🙂
To me, it’s the opposite. Beliefs can change with new information. People once believed the earth was flat. Beliefs then feel tied to something outside of us.
Knowing however feel like it’s tied to something inside me—like a connection to deeper universal truths that don’t change. They just need to be uncovered or discovered. Example—I know I’m worthy of love. That’s a constant and a truth lives in all of us. This is the way I see it anyway. Hope this makes sense!
Thank you for reading and for your thoughtful comment!
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For me believing and knowing are not very different. I knew I would find the love of my love because I believed I would, for instance. There were no plan B’s or “what if’s”. I just knew it.
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Thanks for reading and for your thoughtful comment. What I know for sure is that I love to read different people’s perspectives on the topics I post! It’s always an enlightening dialog and makes me think about the idea in a new way. Thank you, Neha!
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