I miss the old Facebook, the old Twitter, the old social media—the social media where the majority of posts were humorous videos or new photo albums or Tasty videos with the occasional political post that typically didn’t cause a fuss. People could share bits and pieces of their life without backlash. But now, it’s a whole different story.

It seems these days like you can’t even post the simplest of your beliefs without feeling attacked or having to explain why you believe what you do. Just last week, it happened to me so I took it upon myself to start deleting those on social media who felt the need to hide behind a computer screen and resort to aggression toward their peers. And sure, it’s made my Facebook feed a little less full of arguments, but it’s still everywhere. This isn’t to say I disagree with politics having a prescence on social media because I post my own views in the most mature way I can. It’s when it becomes a game of attacking each other to essentially say, “You’re wrong, I’m right” that I disagree with. Our country is at odds and it shows the most on our social media sites—a place that used to be an outlet of expression has turned into a place of verbal warfare.

So when is enough, enough?

Our media projects division and chaos so we follow without hesitation, but why? We make our friends regret posting what they believe; make them regret using their right to freedom of speech, for what? We spew hate like it’s second nature—for the good of whom? I see people preaching how they want our nation to be unified and peaceful but go and attack someone on a Facebook post about their stance on healthcare the first chance they get. It makes me sad; sad for those who get attacked and sad for those who feel they can’t get their point across without projecting hate. Our country is the freest in the world, yet some of us feel more constrained than ever by our fellow Americans.

So where is the love?

Why can’t we accept each other for our differences and focus on the positives in the world around us? There are so many yet we don’t hear about them because the sole focus is always on the latter. So let’s make a change. We have the voices to do so, we have the maturity level, the intelligence to make a conscious change in the way we approach each other. Let’s spread love and acceptance and maybe others will follow, the media will follow.

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

It’s okay if someone doesn’t have the same views as you. It’s what makes this country so great. So go and spread a little love; give a random person a compliment; hold the door for the person behind you or thank your barista for your coffee. Make someone else feel good and focus on the positives. We weren’t born with this hate in our hearts, it was taught to us—just as love was. It’s time to make the change we all preach so much about and it starts today.