TV? or not TV?

I've noticed many of the journals I read, at one time or another, talk about "television" and how bad it is for kids because they don't go out and play, and for adults because they should be doing chores, or reading or writing or anything but television.

I think some of this reasoning stems from the age at which we are now. For some reason how things used to be sits in the backs of our minds and then tells us television is bad. Re: Before television I read more, I was outside more, I did this or that more,etc.

Whelp, I thought on this today. And though it's true I did more of those things too, the fact is we change every minute of everyday. So what we did once doesn't mean we should be doing it now. Is it really so bad to be a couch potato? Hmmm... there is something here that needs looking into. Agreed, it's not healthy to be a couch potato but, if you are enjoying the television, then I think it can't be all bad.

You don't think about the things you "have" to do.. they somehow get done. What is in question is, the television. If you sit and think about how many times you put off or don't do something you enjoy, you wake up and find you had very little enjoyment in your life. So, if you are enjoying the movie or show you watch on television... can it really be so bad? If you can't afford to travel or to buy something that makes you happy, you have to get enjoyment where you can. And television is about the only affordable enjoyment most can get.

I've read some journals of those who are writers (and hoping to be writers) who claim television deters their creative thoughts or it takes them from time that they should be writing. Oh really? hmmm. It would seem to me that if those creative juices were flowing you would be typing and not watching television, there should be no thoughts of "I should be". And if they truly feel i should be writing, and i take that to mean, i should force myself to write and not watch television, well... forced writing would not be good writing. If the ideas are there, then you are not going to be needing to make a choice.

For anyone who feels they should be doing something other then watching television, my answer would be ...don't force the issue. Those things that HAVE to be done or even NEED to be done..eventually get done. The body and mind need down time, rest time, enjoyment time. Life is too short..WAaaay to short.. to not enjoy a movie or a show.. or even alot of them, since most can't afford other means of enjoyment.

Yep, I grew up in a time when there was no television and little television, and yes I may have used my imagination more ..but i'm not sure on that note, since television and the computer both can also stir the imagination. It may actually be more "even -steven" then we think.

The same could be said of the computer. Both the television and computer when I think of them... a bane? or a revelation? good? bad?..or both. I think: both. Time spent on or watching them? Good or bad? (both) Good if you are getting enjoyment, bad if you are not.

I think I'm about to change subjects here.. partly from reading a post in Aurieleta's journal about the use of computers and writing, and part just thinking of my computer and how I came to have it.

Before any means of typing, I never kept a diary or a journal like many did. When I learned how to type (only 1 yr in hs) we somehow managed to get a cheap electric typewriter, and I loved it! It was a Smith-Corona... but as we all know (well any who ever used one) typewriters don't do "spell check" ..and boy did I ever need it! heh.. From there I went to a Word Processor, with a tiny screen and spell check!.. and a dictionary! Wow! was I ever impressed?! You bet I was! Back then I wrote lots of letters.. loooooong letters! It was a great machine, because it had all of that plus you could put a few pieces of paper in the back of it and it printed out what you wrote and you didn't have to feed it one page at a time. The funny part of it, now that i think of it, is listening to it print out... you heard the sound of a very fast typewriter!

From there I went to a "hand built" computer with a very small hard drive, nearly no memory and a version of windows that no one would remember ..heh.

Since then I've had 2 more computers, each "bigger and better" then the last..naturally. Not necessarily because I wanted it that way, but because you had to buy them that way. Interesting isn't it? That although some people don't want or need more... that they are forced to buy more then they want or need? The so called reason behind that is because they will no longer support "older versions" of anything.... hmmmm, so freedom of choice is quickly taken away. But that's a whole other discussion.

I guess my bottom line of thoughts about time spent watching television (and the how much time is spent on a computer) is a simple one. Most of our lives are actually spent on what has to be done or needed to be done. (re: work to pay the bills/ the hours spent sleeping..which is necessary) So, I don't think being a person who enjoys television or their computer (maybe even too much) is all that bad. There's enjoyment in both. There's learning in both. And there's escapism in both.. all of which makes life bearable and hopefully more enjoyable.

The time we have is short. Something we don't really realize until we are old. And you can't get time back again. I think at times we try to rationalize everything too much. Don't let yourself think you don't deserve to stop and small those roses. When the time is gone... it's gone. No going back. We shouldn't keep telling ourselves I should be or need to be doing this or that... you deserve better then you let yourself have... everyone does.