I can’t turn my TV off when I leave my room.
Maybe it’s because there’s something somewhat soothing about the light dim of the of the TV with its constant chatter of inane superficiality faithfully awaiting my arrival. Or, perhaps it’s because it transports me to another more attractive, glitzy and brainless world — a world I can’t bear to turn off.
It’s comforting to know that there are really people out there trying to make me laugh with their pathetic jokes and sincerely hoping that I will never forget to “remember my spirit” (here’s to your selflessness, Oprah!).
With a simple click of the remote control, my static, boring world transforms into an infinite, dynamic source of freedom.
There’s also a sense of glamour and magic that accompanies the daily TV watching.
Who doesn’t want to watch Kelly and Jack living it up in their Pepsi-endorsed, bat-eating dad’s pimp pad? I know I would rather have my eyes locked on the latest Brad Pitt movie than be staring blindly at an organic chemistry textbook.
Who would have thought that a small box could be the life of the party, the town gossip and the baby-sitter all at one time?
Why do people have such a problem with the recent outbreak of excessive TV viewing consumption?
People say that kids watching three to four hours of TV a day will lead to later problems. They feel that TV numbs its audience, making them apathetic and prone to leading more consumer-driven lives than they already do. But are they right?
It was not until I finally asked myself why I was watching so much TV and forced myself to turn it off that I came to the realization that the remote was not going to make my life any better.
In fact, it was only a reflection that my life was just getting worse.
Sitting blindly in front of a flat screen is no valid escape. It is only a pathetic denial of my refusal to accept my life for what it is — boring and common.
In a world brimming with confusion, loneliness and apathy, why subject ourselves to further mental disturbance?
No one would argue that it’s not a nice diversion from the often exhausting harshness of reality. But why turn to the lives of others for such a release? TV used to be meaningless recreation. Now, it’s an escape. Have our lives really grown so worthless and powerless that we can only find solace outside ourselves as opposed to within?
I ask you to turn off your TV for a week (don’t worry, there is something called a VCR that can tape Friends and The Real World for you).
Stop and hear yourself and this time, actually listen. Perhaps you’ll find some glamour and glitz in the mundane without the help of a little, faceless black box.

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