T.V. Part II

Let me start by saying thank-you for responding to my last post. I was convinced that I would probably offend the masses (oh yea, like the masses are flocking to my blog) and therefore, silence in the end, would inevitably shut me up.

Not so, young grasshoppers.

Also, please understand that in writing these posts my goal is not to judge or condemn others. I'm simply expressing my beliefs and convictions. Please, please do NOT think I'm judging anyone. For the record (and I will expound on this more later) I do watch some television. Very little, but some.

I would also like to say that the Mad Monk read my blog after I'd posted and then went and posted some good stuff of his own on the subject. He is nothing if not a passionate writer my friends. Much more eloquent than my feeble attempts will ever be.

So. On to my hating the television.

I guess the most logical place to start is at the top. (I am so profound it's shocking.)


So here we go:

10. They are obnoxious focal points in any house.

I really cannot stand the t.v. to be a focal point of a room. Perhaps it is because we have a behemoth television (52 inches) from the late 90's and it really is big and obnoxious. We plan on purchasing a smaller one along with a cabinet (I hate the term "entertainment center") where the doors can be shut and I don't have to look at the thing.

It truly bothers me that entire rooms are arranged in such a way as to maximize the view of the television, which in turn minimizes interaction with real people. This should throw up huge, red flags as to what is important in our lives people. Real, live people or television characters?


9. They are time wasters.


Okay, this should be a no brainer. When I think of the hours that I have wasted sitting in front of the television it really does make me ill. I know that we all need time to unwind and relax ~ I know I do. I'm just not sure the *television is the best use of that time. Several passages of scripture comes to mind as I type this:

Eph 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
Eph 5:16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.



And specifically, I look to the Proverbs 31 woman.

Pro 31:27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

While I'm sure she rested, I can pretty much guarantee she didn't spend hours in front of the television watching Survivor - Assyria.

*In these posts when I refer to television I'm specifically referring to network television and not DVD's which I will cover later.

8. Hello? Do people read books anymore?

I was doing some research on this today and this is a few things I found:

-1/3 of high school graduates never read another book after graduating high school. That's in the rest of their lives people!

-80% of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year. I'm sorry, but that is just so sad it makes me angry. You know what though? I bet they watched plenty of television.

A nation that prefers Homer Simpson over Homer's Odyssey is almost frightening. Pathetic even.

There is a vast supply of good literature out there and I fully intend on consuming as much of it as I possibly can. Monk has a great quote from Erasmus that he likes to use. It says, "when I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes".

We value books in our home. We look forward to reading them(well, except for The Boy who would pretty much rather gnaw off his left foot than to read a book). We have raised our children to enjoy reading and they do. They ask for books for their birthdays and Christmas. And they get them.

As a matter of fact, while walking through Wal-Mart tonight I found a child's abridged version of Anne of Green Gables. You know what? I bought it for Sis. She loved it and was already almost through chapter 2 by her bed time.

For me, when I need to unwind after a long day of dirty diapers, sisterly squabbles, cat vomit, dog hair, leaky sinks and unsuccessful attempts at making bread, I love nothing more than to curl up on the couch with a beverage of choice and a good book.

And a quote for you that is astoundingly true.

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.Just get people to stop reading them.~ Ray Bradbury ~

We must stop looking at the television as our only source of relaxation. I can pretty much guarantee that 100 years ago folks still found viable ways to relax without television. Much of the time they found their enjoyment in books. Reading is becoming a lost art and personally, I feel as if lack of reading is a major reason for the "dumbing down" in the schools today. It doesn't take a whole lot of brain cells to watch television and as with anything in our bodies, if we stop using something it begins to atrophy. This would include our brains.

Any thoughts? Opinions? Dare I say disagreements?