Earlier this week I ventured down Jackson Ave. in the Old City section of Knoxville, Tennessee for lunch. I enjoy the architecture, variety, and places that make Knoxville feel like home.

After lunch, I made my way to the loo, and while there, I noticed the writing on the stall door. It was one of those things that captured your attention. The funny thing about it is that days later, I’m still thinking about it.

The quote emblazoned on the stall was this, “The truth does not require your belief to be true, but a lie does!”

My mind has had that thought rattling around for days now. What does our belief stand on? Are you willing to search for its truth, not just blindly believe what the masses tell you to believe? Are there any free thinkers still in existence?

These questions puzzle me. It seems everyone is ready to jump on this bandwagon or another without examining the facts. The things that are put before us seem to be manufactured facts and not reality. I’m not sure the public even knows what reality looks like. The world appears to be manipulated by Photo-shopped images and soundbites.

I am usually a very optimistic person and I’m trying to remain so. I believe in amplified thought, our energy amplifies the thoughts we hold. If we hold negative thoughts, negativity becomes attracted to us. There is so much negativity in the world right now and it is amplified over and over again. If we continually focus on the negative, the negative is all we will ever see. I choose every day to look for the positive.

I try to make the best choices based on the information I have been able to verify. I strive to raise my awareness, I’m looking for the best-case scenario. I do know that growth happens in uncomfortable places. I think uncomfortable is on the horizon for us all. It is my hope that the growth that comes from it will be good for us all.

You are free to believe however you choose, I force my beliefs on no one. My hope is the God I believe in, a God of love, and peace. He is who will guide my steps. No matter what the future holds, I will continue to love my fellow humans on this earth, the ones like me, the ones not like me, and everyone in between.

I love the quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. that states Love is the answer to hate: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”.

Let’s be the answer to hate, lies, and discontent. Let’s love people well.