Television, drug of the nation -- The Modern Luddite

Television, drug of the nation

Why don’t you just switch off your TV set and go out and do something less boring instead? Sound advice from a hideous, erm, TV show of the seventies. Lord knows the average number of hours people sit in front of the TV, developing back-aches and mushy brains. The question is, do you really need that TV time? What does it do for you? Does it actually, genuinely entertain you? Does it really help you relax? Probably not as much as reading a book, or trying 15 minutes of meditation, or phoning a friend, or writing a letter to your gran, or learning a musical instrument, or going OUTSIDE, or…. anything!

Television drug of the nation

So, what to do. Well, the first of all, you could just try turning the thing off. But it will sit there, tempting you. “Just 5 minutes,” it will say. “Just one episode of the Simpsons.” And that’s tempting! So should you quit altogether? If you can, I’d say yes. But if you can’t, try a different approach. Set your video (or hard-disk, or laser-chromogram, or whatever) recorder timer so it records that can’t-miss episode. Try limiting what you record, and watching it in one convenient batch, and then - this is the tricky part - turn off the TV.

For those of us who lack the will-power, the ultimate solution is to ditch the TV. But don’t just chuck it out with the rubbish. Give it away to someone who’d really appreciate it - a bed-ridden relative; a school; a homeless shelter; a charity shop. Or of course you could sell it
The same goes for those DVDs and videos that are kicking around. Or you could keep them and watch them on your computer. Or perhaps give them to your local library? Plenty of options.

In the UK, one benefit of this is that you’ll never have to pay your TV licence again, but be prepared for them to pop round to check. Nobody seems to believe it when people say they don’t have a TV. Why should that be?

And now, because lots of people have plenty of thoughts about TV (some quite fruity), here are some links:

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