It's something we do every day. It is such a simple act, so routine, something we do without much thought at all. Maybe we do it in different ways. Some people wake up in the morning, throw on a robe, put coffee brewing in the kitchen, and sit down to do it while the sun is just starting to rise. Some people pause during their lunch break or after a class and do it using their phones, scouring the Internet, Facebook and Twitter. Others still wait until they return home from a busy day at work, kick off their shoes, grab the remote, and do it while they wait for dinner to be ready. What is this universal thing that everyone seems to do? We turn on the news.

Now, watching the news is something people usually enjoy. Perhaps people prefer their news served to them on a bright, sunny morning platter where the anchors sit comfortably on couches, and include the latest fashion trends along with the latest political trends. Other people want their news delivered efficiently, on the go, in their tiny little box of a cellphone. And then there are those who like their news reported professionally, in a serious tone, complete with a desk, a suit, and maybe even a fancy projection of the capital or a globe in the background. While everyone likes their news served up differently, we all crave being up to date about what's going on in the world. It used to be nice to wake up to a bright, beautiful morning in Rockefeller Center. It used to be nice to check Twitter to see the latest trend be something like #CatsThatTalk. It used to be nice to sit down for the evening and watch CBS highlight a small-town business owner making a difference in his tiny community. Used to be.

But now, turning on the news is not nice. It is not fun. It is not cheery. Now, turning on the news is different. Turning on the news is bracing yourself to hear how many people have died from a terrorist attack the night before. It's praying that your hometown is not named in a list of possible sites for violent protests planned for tomorrow. It's wondering if the face of a friend or coworker will pop up as the witness to a robbery or shooting. Turning on the news in today's world is playing Russian roulette. It's taking a daily giant spoonful of sorrow that tastes like the worst medicine ever made. Turning on the news is seeing the top 10 trending topics in the world as Pray for Paris, Pray for Nice, Pray for Orlando, Pray...Pray... Pray...Pray...Pray... Pray... And still, pray. Turning on the news is running without enough armor into a war over whose lives matter and over thin blue lines. Turning on the news is tuning into a race between a felon and a bully and trying to place your bet based on the lesser of two evils. Turning on the news is heavy. It is dark. It is sad. Just when it seems like a bright and sunny day, the news is a large, ominous storm cloud, thundering to inform you that an innocent tourist died today, that a police officer died today, that an unarmed, complying black man died today.

And I guess when the news is now dark instead of cheery, a weird thing happens. I guess people simply stop watching. At least with their brains and their hearts. They either become numb to everything they watch or they turn off their televisions. But I think the worst part is that you can't turn off the world. And as long as there is violence and terror and ugliness to report, the morning news will not be a good start to your morning, Twitter will have the same 10 hashtags trending, and the nightly news will be a far cry from a lullaby.

I guess we need to find other things to fill in our routine, to complete our days. Maybe we'll go outside more, maybe more families will eat dinner at the table, maybe we'll lean into the next cubicle and actually talk to someone at work. Maybe getting away from the world will be good. But, gee, wasn't it nice when it was fun to turn on the news?