The Truth about Television

T.V. - What is its purpose?  Sometimes I think profoundly, others...not so much.  People talk about watching too much television, we notice it ourselves in our own lives, we've even pointed out how much time we spend in front of it instead of how much time we spend with God.  Yet we don't attempt to make any changes.  Granted, we can fill our lives with all kinds of things that take us away from our Lord so that's really not the point, although it should be.  We should be so consumed with our Savior that we would be seeking any moment at all to spend time with Him but face it, we are human beings...so imperfect, self-centered, distracted, and "busy".

But why T.V.?  I see television as merely entertainment, we have our favorite sitcoms, dramas, reality shows, sporting events, etc.  Are they at all necessary?  What would happen if we didn't have a television to click on everyday?  Don't get me wrong, I watch it, I would tell myself that it's important because I need to see the news.  What a laugh!  I can live without seeing the news, life goes on.

Several months ago we let our satellite service go, boy did it seem strange, no DVR!  We got over it.  Then we bought an antenna, we get a few channels...like the news.  One of the best parts is we are no longer paying for television, it is really freeing.  But I have a confession, we then went to Netflix, so we are still paying for entertainment...less than $10 a month, but nevertheless, still paying.  Do we watch less T.V.?  Sometimes...but I know that I can live without it.

Recently we made a new rule in our house...all electronics are to be turned off at 9 p.m., so we can have time with each other as a family and time with our Lord.  We've had things get in the way like school functions and whatnot, it's not full proof, but it's a step in the right direction.  It used to seem like when we walked in the door it was automatic to sit down and flip on the television...those days are gone.  :)

Television isn't the enemy but can made to be so much more than it ought to be...BEWARE!

*From Wikipedia:
Although television was first introduced to the general public at the 1939 World's Fair, the outbreak of World War II prevented it from being manufactured on a large scale until after the end of the war. True regular commercial network television programming did not begin in the U.S. until 1948. During that year, legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini made his first of ten TV appearances conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and Texaco Star Theater, starring comedian Milton Berle, became television's first gigantic hit show.