“Television to brain wash us all and Internet to eliminate any last resistance” – Paul Carvel
I am reading this amazing book right now. It’s a true story, which I highly recommend called “Tattoos on the Heart” by Gregory Boyle. In it, there is a man who is an ex-ganger who has turned his life around. He has three children who beg him to buy them a Harry Potter book; usually they go to the bookstore and read there because of the cost to buy. Anyway he brakes down and buys the book. So what do they do every night? They turn off the T.V. and he and his kids read Harry Potter out loud. As he tells his story he begins to brake down, his voice trembles, “ I…just close my eyes, sitting in my recliner…listening to my kids…
read…out loud.”
Wow, time with children, together, no distractions, connecting.
I think this is so beautiful.
There was a man at one of my seminars who decided to turn off his T.V. for a week. He and his son ended up playing guitar and singing together, they had so much fun and connected for the first time in many years.
Another women attending said when she turned off the Internet and T.V she had no idea what to do, in fact, at first she paced. Then she noticed her unfinished book from 2 years ago sitting in the corner, she picked it up and finished the project within weeks.
How much time as a whole do we spend on the Internet and watching T.V.?
Have we stared numbly while we forget about our passions?
It’s not that I am completely against watching television, I enjoy it every now and then, and in fact it can be very entertaining. But that is what I feel it should be, entertainment. You know, when you go out to hear a band play or go to a baseball game. That is something you do every now and then, not every night for hours. As a country I feel like we treat watching T.V. like we do our food, we super sized it. It’s the super size of entertainment.
T.V. has become, as my husband likes to say, “America’s vodka.”
What will you do with the T.V., Internet, and video games off for a week? Yes, a week.
Oh and by the way, it’s not about what you watch. So those of you who have all assured me you are only watching the “Discovery Channel” off it goes as well.
So, what will you do?
Will you finally write the book you talk about? Or create the music that cannot contain itself with in you? Will poetry finally flow from your Spirit? And art from your fingertips?
What about time for Visualizing, meditating, gardening? How about playing an old fashion board game with your kids?
Turn off the Internet.
Turn off the T.V.
Turn off the distractions
Turn on your life.
Great post! Christy and I moved the TV out of our “living” room and into a box because it took up so much room that we could use to fill with books and places to sit. Now we make a choice to watch a show now and then, but mostly fill our lives with living.
Thanks!
I love this post! I remember it was really tough for me to first contemplate shutting off the TV and making a conscious decision to spend my Internet time wisely. Hanging next to my computer is one of my MM habits worksheets where I wrote out exactly what made me feel yuck in relation to my frivolous time wasting on the net. It inspires me every time I look at it!
Love this post. Lives are wasted on this false consumption. I wish the whole world would do this. Who knows the possibilities.
Ha! I was one of the “Discovery Chanel” people.
Its now been over 3 years, and probably 200 books since we turned off our cable, and I only missed it for about 2 days. We watch movies on occasion, but that’s about it.
When I made the choice to turn off my TV and “Turn on my life” it became very obvious to me how many people around me, in my every day life waste their time with TV, Internet, and video games. Its pretty sad.
Great post GMM!
ha ha I remember having a convo with a new friend I met, and she was stunned to the fact that I don’t watch TV. My roommates and I don’t pay for cable, That solves the first problem. There you kinda don’t have much of a choice but to find a different way to occupy time, reading, writing, studying, drawing, so much comes up its good stuff. Thank you for the enlightening words GMM.
can i wait until after the Super Bowl to try this?
In the eighties there was a commercial showing a 15 year old gymnist, on a balance beam, doing the splits … and then the voice over “stay confident” with so and so kotex or something along that line.
That was it for us! Not since then have we had the ability (cable etc) or desire to watch commercial tv.
Now, snuggling up, after midnight … together … and watching a movie … hmmm … I’m still an addict of much of that! 🙂
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One week with zero internet as entertainment? My week begins now! (I opted out of the cable t.v. here in my new place.)
Hey Everyone, thanks so much for all your comments. GMM
Great Article, GMM!!!
So true…turn off the tube, turn on YOUR LIFE!!!
I only watch the Food Network. And movies and DVD’s occasionally. I am going to spend less time on the Internet as well. 30 minutes a day? At any rate, as a photographer who is inspired by many artists and muscians, I am going to keep learning to draw and paint, continue to learn music through guitar, as well as hone my craft in photography. Being the tech nerd I am, I am going to keep learning web design and the way the tech industry can benefit (not hinder) our lives. Thank you for this post. It is a constant inspiration.