If I die at the hands of hate, may I end in love.
My dearest readers,
In last week's blog post, I touched on how easily accessible hate has become. With just one click on social media, we are flooded with angry comments, harmful opinions, and videos made to provoke. This led me to think more deeply about authenticity and its intersection with hate.
In today’s society, the price of authenticity is often rejection. People encourage us to “live our truth,” but rarely speak about the discomfort, consequences, or emotional bruises that come with it.
Through my interactions with others, I’ve noticed that authenticity tends to show up in different layers:
Performative authenticity:
Saying what sounds good instead of what’s real — polished words with little substance behind them.
Fear-based authenticity:
Being mostly honest, but still holding back. Speaking in a filtered or rehearsed way because we’re afraid of being “wrong,” judged, or misunderstood.
Courageous authenticity:
Speaking openly and showing the real story—even the messy parts—and matching words with action. No performance, just truth.
Living authentically is often romanticized online, but the reality is that people may not resonate with your truth. We live in a very opinionated, polarized, and loud society. Discussing real, uncomfortable, and personal topics can:
Invite criticism
Provoke hateful responses
Leave you misunderstood
Become the projection screen for other people’s insecurities
Cause people to distance themselves from you
Online, vulnerability comes with the risk of being truly seen, not just as a curated highlight reel that the algorithm approves.
So the question becomes:
Is the solution to hide your authenticity and only share it with those who value it?
I asked myself this same question a year ago, and what I realized is:
When you remain silent to protect your image, you begin training your mind to prioritize the protection of others over your own honesty.
Eventually, you lose pieces of yourself in the process.
When you settle for surface-level truth, everything else in your life becomes surface-level, too: relationships, work, friendships, creativity. None of it will fully resonate with who you are.
Why should we have to hide our authenticity in the first place?
When you take the leap and choose your truth instead of hiding it, authenticity becomes an act of love. You learn to trust yourself to speak when it matters. You become your own source of protection. You no longer need the world to say what you are already brave enough to say for yourself.
The best way to pour love into others is to love yourself first.
How can you give what you have never offered to yourself?
If your authenticity brings conflict, criticism, or distance, at least you know you stayed true. Better that than betraying yourself for acceptance.
Choose love over fear.
I want to acknowledge how daunting it is to be a vocal, feeling human being right now. In a world that feels split down the middle, living truthfully can create tension: strained relationships, someone turning their back, gossip, rejection.
What I Mean When I Say “I Will End in Love”
If people speak negatively about me, if someone hates what I share, if my ego dies in the public eye — I will always come from a place of love. And I know l will end in love. Because the worst thing I could do is abandon myself to maintain approval that was never real to begin with.
People are not going to like you regardless.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
So if rejection is inevitable, let it be for something honest.
Let it be because you stood by who you are, not because you hid.
Live the Life You Want
Choose depth over safety. It may seem safer to stay quiet, but your love and beliefs will come out one way or another, as they are part of who you are. Ignoring that side of you will only lead to suffering, as hiding brings discomfort within your own truth. Choose to be vulnerable and connect with people, even when you're scared. You will never know the impact of what you can offer the world with your light if you never choose to shine.
Love,
Ajie
