Saturday 30 April 2011

Is television and radio mind numbing?

When we are feeling a little tired it's easy to switch them on and be "entertained".

It can become a habit: it saves us having to think what we want to do.

It seems to me to have simularities with eating cakes.

It's a 'pleasant' mindless activity.

That's its problem isn't it ?

It's mindless.

At the end of watching for an hour or two do we feel really good about ourselves. Do we feel we've achieved anything? Do we feel we've lived a little?

Contrast going down to the allotment and growing vegetables.

This can be a real challenge: aren't challenges fun?

We get that sense of achievement; that feeling of self confidence.

I just love challenges and doing something I hadn't been able to do before.

The challenge doesn't have to be difficult : it could be going for a walk and really listening to every sound we hear - really listen.

It could be going to a cafe´ or pub and people-watching and telling ourselves a story about the people we watch. We might even take the risk of talking to someone we don't know and finding more about their way of life.

Personally I find this far more satisfying than watching tele for the same amount of time.

It is risk taking - nothing might happen - we might get totally bored.

Time to stop writing and do something else and get away from the intrusive inanity of celebrities talking rubbish to each other that seems to be going on TV at the moment.

I have a mind and body that can amuse itself.

A friend of mine - without a television - has possibly got his guitar out and is at this moment singing to his relatives that have come for a visit. He may even be helping with the washing up after a really good meal he helped cook or at least grew the vegetables that were eaten.

He may even have cooked the food on the low fuel oven and burner he has designed and made himself.

Bla bla bla - the sound of television can penetrate the door of every room in the house.

Time to escape - maybe a walk? or some tidying up elsewhere - or play the piano!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Humans have loved distractions since cave paintings seen by the light of a flickering fire.
Selective TV is wonderful,the word being selective.
We have control of the off button.
LET IT BE

Geoff Dellow said...

I'm all for WATCHING TV and for
LISTENING to radio.

Both can be fantastic and inspire us to want to get involved with life.

Even celebreties have the odd word of wisdom.

Let's not use them though as a way of 'passing the time'- there are far more enriching things to do.

Better perhaps to sit 'inactive' and reflect on life or chat to a human or even the cat . . . or sleep ?