I’m tired.

I’m sick and tired.

My brain hurts, my heart hurts.

I’m far past any kind of anger or outrage, I’m just sad.

There is no escape, it is all around us.

Music, TV, sports, school, work, politics, social media are filled with it.

It drives apart friends and strangers alike.

It distracts us from what is good in the world.

And worst of all, there seems to be no end.

I’m talking about the controversy over NFL players’ protest during the National Anthem.

12 months ago, Colin Kaepernick sat during the Star-Spangled Banner before a football game and it started a firestorm that has been burning ever since.

The conversion about the merits of what Kaepernick did and the issues that surround it have been going on non-stop for almost a year don’t look like they’re coming to an end anytime soon.

Some people may think less of me for this, but I admit have been trying to avoid it.

However, that’s about as easy as avoiding oxygen.

Very little of it is constructive. All I see is hatred, anger, derisiveness, and separation everywhere.

I don’t understand how people still have the emotional energy and endurance to continue to post, argue, talk about this in such an angry way. I get emotionally drained just reading and hearing it.

Let me be clear, there is blame to go around on ALL sides. (Yes, I know what it sounds like…)

President Trump only poured gas onto the fire this weekend with his comments. But in the whole scope of everything, they don’t make much of a difference.

People would’ve continued to post and argue about the issue even if he didn’t make the comment.

But this is bigger than Kaepernick or the National Anthem or Trump, the hatred and vitriol that people have on social media has gone from teenage-girl drama to everyday people to now the mainstream media.

Come to think of it, this has been going on longer than Trump or Kaepernick, but they’ve made it worse.

It’s hard for me to have an opinion anymore. It seems you can’t have one anymore, without fear of losing a friendship, respect, happiness. Every time I get a notification for Facebook, I get a mixed of excitement, fear and dread not knowing what happened.

Unfortunately for me, I have chosen a career where I must be on social media. So, getting off of it isn’t an option.

I feel bad for people who day after day post about the anger they feel towards an issue. My heart hurts for those who make 500-word posts on Facebook about their outrage over something.

I have to ask, ‘Do you carry that anger around with you all the time?’

If so, I genuinely feel sorry for you; your life sounds awful.

Instead, I think we should try to see the goodness in people, to enjoy life, focus and be thankful for gifts we have been blessed with.

I know many of these issues are extremely important and need to be talked about. As people, we must strive to bring equality for all, but we need to do it constructively not destructively, with love not hate or anger.

Maybe I’m the only one, but I’m sick of all the hate and anger.

Instead be happy, not angry on social media and in life. Life is short, let’s not waste our time hating each other.

Twitter: @FrancisBoeck