"The news" is a misnomer. It's not "new". It's old. It's not now. It was yesterday.

In science, we understand that most of the data we capture reflects historical conditions. By the time you observe, make a note, and share that note, the data are old. It rained yesterday. The water was cold this morning. It's all in the past.

The "news" is the past, too. So is social media. They are the world as it was.

If you're a doomscroller or someone whose mission forces you to look at the news, the world often seems full of anger and sickness. It's enough to make your stomach drop and your shoulders sag.

Grammar is one of the quickest and simplest ways to shake off the horrible feeling that the world stinks. Seriously. Grammar.

Just change the present to the past: The world doesn't stink, it stank. See? There’s a difference between believing you are seeing the world as it is and believing you are seeing the world as it was. And in that difference lies hope.

If today’s headlines reflect yesterday, then tomorrow’s headlines reflect today. And today isn’t over yet. What comes next is all blank space, up for grabs. So do the thing you want people to read about in the news. Be a person who deserves attention. Spread ideas worthy of people's time.

You won't rewrite the news overnight, but change is inevitable if you are persistent. What just happened doesn't have to be what happens next. The past doesn't have to be the future. It all depends on what we do right after we feel our stomachs clench and our shoulders sag. It all depends on how we choose to fill the space.