Do you believe, or do you know?

Words are powerful. 

Take, for instance, these words: 

smell
scent
fragrance
odor
stench 

Already, these words--all related--each connote a different notion over the same idea. 

Now let's take these words: 

Believe and Know 

Believe, according to the dictionary, means "to accept something as true". 

On the other hand... 

Know, according to the dictionary, means "to be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information". 

To believe something often means you agree that an idea is true without evidence to prove or disprove the idea. 

To know something often means you have experienced whatever you know about. You've been educated through some sort of means. 

I used to believe that Santa Claus was real. Now I know he's not. 

I'm writing my thoughts on these two words because I find that people often use the word believe when they need to make more use of the word know. 

Do you believe in climate change or do you know that it exists and is threatening our planet and our existence? 

Do you believe that racism is over or do you know that it's not only over, but that our country suffers from systemic racism? 

Do you believe everything you read on social media to be true especially if it aligns with your political views or do you know that you need to fact-check before you share content to prevent spreading disinformation? 

Do you believe that Barack Obama was a Muslim and was not born in the US or do you know he was born in Honolulu, HI (therefore an American citizen), and practiced Christianity? 

Do you believe anything Donald Trump says because you trust him because of his "tells it like it is" style of speaking or do you know that he has been found to be a pathological gaslighter? 

(Yes, I know became pointed with the points I'm making with how we use these words. These examples help to illustrate my point.) 

Believe and know are two words that I think need more attention especially because of this yard sign I've seen pop up at homes and businesses: 

Saying we believe is aspirational and inspiring. But if you were to change the statement to read We Know, then the message communicated changes from being an admirable philosophy to a non-negotiable statement. It becomes a hard fact rather than sound like an idea up for debate. To say we believe says it's how you think about something, as in you're still on your journey. But if you say we know, then you're not learning anymore. You've arrived. You've acquired information. You've had the experience and can speak to it and about it. There's nothing left to wonder or be curious about or disagree over because you know. 

So. 

What do you believe, and what do you know? How often do you interchange these words as if they mean the same thing? 

Choose your words carefully when sharing content online or when speaking to anyone about anything. What do you believe and what do you know? 

More importantly, how can you turn something you believe into something you know? 

In my opinion, believing is good, but knowing is better.