I’m writing this on a Friday morning. Today, I woke up to another act of senseless and stupid violence. I made the huge mistake of going to social media and seeing what people had to say about it.

You know, earlier this week, when I saw video footage of police officers killing a black man in cold blood, I must say my Facebook was pretty damn quiet. I didn’t really see much, and I had to go searching for information on my own in response to this. As a journalist, I think social media can be a great tool to get reliable information—if you’re using the right sources.

I saw mixed emotions. I saw people and friends writing peaceful prayers and peaceful notions to stop gun violence, and they called for people to realize that there is a racial problem in this world. I saw some people who didn’t know what they were talking about. I saw some people who were just as fed up as I was waking up to another act of violence; a life that could have been saved. But these were people who I knew were Black Lives Matter activists. They had been calling for gun reform laws belligerently. I didn’t see anything from acknowledged pro-gun enthusiasts.

Yet, I wake up on this Friday, five officers shot in a Black Lives Matter rally, and Facebook is not silent. Facebook is angry. Facebook is ranting and raging. I didn’t see the usual people posting about gun rights and how racism doesn’t exist earlier this week, but I sure as hell see them now. I see other people who address the problem—that all lives matter. I once again, see people who have no idea what they are talking about, and I see another couple of more lives that could have been saved.

Let me just say, I keep quiet on social media when it comes to political controversy. I’m trying one post at a time (if I even can anymore) to keep this world as positive as it can be. If I’m going to inform people on an issue, I’m going to find an article by a credible journalist, and share it. That’s it. The world doesn’t need my senseless, non-factual rant when I didn’t look up any information, especially when our world has to be so black and white. If I say Black Lives Matter, automatically I hate police. If I say Blue Lives Matter, I automatically hate blacks. If I say All Lives Matter, I’m ignoring inequalities. I just can’t win. I just stay silent.

You know, this week I had some serious writer’s block. I started four different pieces with no more than five sentences in each one. And that’s because every time I would try to write about some dumb boy problem, or some humorous thing about crappy college food, my mind was racing about the real problems happening around me, and the fact that I was sitting in my room—unable to say or do anything that I felt would make a realistic change.

And then this morning, the people who were silent earlier in the week went on a rant. My feed was bursting from the seams with Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter posts. People were mad that people shot innocent cops. People were tweeting nonsense. My favorite was Joe Walsh’s “watch out Black Lives Matter punks. Real America is coming after you.” Once again, I felt like I couldn’t win. I couldn’t say that I felt like the cops were wrong for shooting the man, and I couldn’t say those people were wrong for shooting the cops. I didn’t say anything.

I just can’t take it anymore. I can’t take the close-mindedness. What ever happened to All Lives Matter? We all matter. We all want fulfilled, long lives. Nobody wants to be a victim to gun violence. And, I don’t know the first thing about guns and shooting and whatever, but you have to realize that there is a problem, right? Hey, I'm not saying that I want to take your guns away, but you can't tell me we don't have a serious problem. You have to realize that people are dying for no reason, and every time someone dies, I have to deal with people’s racist, shallow, uneducated, Facebook rants, and another family mourns a death.

If I wanted to label myself, it would be something along the lines of: white, Christian, liberal, feminist, journalist… dog-lover. But, instead of falling into these stereotypes and getting words of hate, I label myself human. I don’t think under a party. I don’t think because of what my political faction says I must think. I think for myself. I think for humanity. I think with my heart. I think how God would think—that we are all equal and loved the same. I honestly believe that all lives matter, because don’t they? Don’t we all want to live another day?

It was so hard for me to think people were serious when they didn’t acknowledge gender inequality or racial inequality. So badly I want to scream “open your eyes!” How can you not see it? Then, I justified it by telling myself that maybe it was one of those things that they will realize when it happens to them. Me, I grew up in a town where bad things happened to students. I saw students riot in peaceful ways wearing Black Lives Matter shirts, and I liked it. Nothing bad happened because of it, but I witnessed first-hand, racial inequality. From my own personal and emotional experiences, I have no doubt witnessed gender inequality as well. But, I justified them again, hoping they would open their eyes.

I just don’t understand how can you not think with your heart and just be human? I don’t understand why love is so hard to find in this world. And you can call me naïve, but I believe that if we all thought with our hearts, we’d stop seeing people be shot to death.

I try to think like God—to leave the judging to Him, to love everyone like Him, and to spread His love. And even if you don’t believe as I do, can’t you agree that life would just be better if we loved and didn’t hate? Would life be better if we accepted instead of judged? Wouldn’t living be bliss if we listened instead of yelling so loud we can only hear our own words?

I don’t want to live in a world where I am so afraid to voice my opinion because that’s where I’ve been. I’ve been silent on things that I wanted to vocalize because I’m afraid. I’m scared of what people will say or think about me. But, here I am, listening to people on social media every time something tragic happens, and so badly wanting to say how I feel. I’m honestly annoyed when I see posts that say “don’t like what I think? Unfriend me.”

What happened to healthy debate? We live in America, and we have that right to freedom of speech that some don’t have around the world. I listen to what you say, you listen to what I say—but have a valid argument. An argument is not calling people stupid, liars, bigots, assholes, idiots, or whatever other name you want to use. Even if I don’t agree with you, I will listen if you have the right evidence. I have seen some people do this, and I hope more people can be like this. I want to hear your point of view. Why? So you can educate me, and open my mind.

Can we stop thinking our way is the only right way? Can we stop thinking only certain lives matter? Can we accept that there are good and bad cops/blacks/people? Can we accept some people have ignored their white privilege? Can you just listen to others, instead of shutting them down the second you see that they don’t think like you?

Label me human because I think with my heart. Call me naïve. Call me uneducated or any other insult you want. “Unfriend" me. I have a voice that wants to be heard; I don’t want to hide in the shadows of the Republican and Democratic parties. I want to be informed and educated on the real problems around me—real because they are happening. Things are happening. There are problems. Can we acknowledge them?