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| My youngest makes herself cozy in front of the tv on the first day of Spring Break |
It took me nearly a month to read a library book. The library book wasn't exactly a heavy tomb, either. It was a Chicken Soup for the Soul selection. Why did it take a month? Well, I am spending a lot of time working on college classes. Mostly, however, I have traded my relaxation time of reading a good book with watching brain-numbing television.
I have always struggled with television consumption. And, while I know the dangers that watching too much television can hold, it seems so normal. I mean, I am not alone in how much television I consume. The average American watched five hours of television a day. In a year, that is over 76, twenty-four hour days. That means that twenty percent of our lives are spent on watching television. Is it any wonder that culture is having more of an impact on Christians than Christians impacting culture?
Just a couple days ago I posted about the rise in stress I have felt recently, and my quest to find simplicity when overwhelmed. Would I not be simplifying if I stopped with the pointless watching of television and instead found other ways to unwind? After all, am I spending time with my family when I am watching hours of television, even if they are watching with me? Is there a happy medium between mass consumption of television and cutting it out altogether?
I have to ask myself what my goals are in life? Honestly, there aren't many people like me represented on television. It isn't hard to see why so many people look upon people like me, ones that go against culture in many ways, and find all the reasons why we are wrong. Influenced by five hours or more a day of pop culture and propoganda, is it any wonder that the church is following culture?
What is the answer? I can only discuss my own thoughts on the matter.
Watching television leaves me feeling as if I accomplished something. In reality, I have done nothing more than sit on my butt and drink tea, often simultaneously playing Candy Crush, while the characters on the television live pretend lives. Yet, a part of me will feel that I was with them as they accomplished their goals. Did I solve the crime with Steve and Danno? No. I just sat there. And yet, I sort of feel that I did something other than play endless rounds of Candy Crush (regular, soda, and jelly) while episode after episode played. Bad guys were caught or killed. Crimes were solved using means I don't understand, and are definitely unrealistic. In the end, good triumphs over evil, and I am left feeling that I had some part in that.
But did I?
Did I actually reach out to someone in need at that time? Did I spend that time praying for anyone? Did I even speak to the sixteen year old on the couch next to me, as she was staring into her own screen, headphones on, watching her own shows? Did I actually yell at the nine year old for talking too much and interrupting my vegging time?
I tell others that Jesus is my number one priority. But did I spend more time with Him or the fictional Steve McGarrett and the rest of the cast? (I'm picking on Hawaii Five-O, but it could just as easily be the cast of NCIS or a number of other shows. I tend to enjoy cop shows.) This is a serious question because I have felt that, during my college classes, I have had limited time to spend in my Bible and prayer. I have been struggling to even get Bible lessons done with my children for homeschooling. And yet, I watched four episodes of this show or that show every other evening. AND... that is still a lot less than the national average!
I sort of feel like I am wasting this one life. I mean, I often wonder if, when I face Jesus, if I will have to account for things that most don't see as bad or wrong. For instance, is it wrong to want to relax after a hard day of studying? Of course not, but am I really living my life or just watching others live lives, often pretend ones.
And all of this television viewing isn't accounting for the time spent mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I don't post endless pictures of me sitting on my couch, watching episode after episode of television. If we all posted a picture an hour of all the television we watch, we would see how little we actually are living. I mean, we sort of laugh at all the pictures of teenagers that spend all their time with their faces looking at screens, but are unlikely to realize that we do the same thing, or we make excuses for our own obsessiveness.
What power do I have, really, as a Christian, when I am tuned more into my Facebook than the Holy Spirit? Am I leading anyone to want Jesus by my life on the couch, watching television?
I am not saying that watching television is bad. I simply believe that I need to cut back on how much time I spend watching shows, sometimes repeating episodes, just to relax. It isn't adding to the quality of my life or my witness. It isn't building my relationships, with God or with others.
AND... there's also the issue of my insomnia. Screen time, whether from a television, tablet, or smart phone, tricks our bodies into thinking it is still daylight, and our brains don't release the necessary melatonin needed to fall asleep well. I've been plagued by insomnia for years, and since most of my television viewing and Candy Crush playing happens in the evening, I wonder how much of this comes into play. Are screens exacerbating insomnia? When I read at bedtime, I tend to fall asleep much more quickly. I absolutely believe that screens are negatively impacting my sleep.
Does this mean setting rules for myself? No television after 8 in the evening? No more than a hour a day? Checking Facebook less often? More time living in the moment, enjoying my family and friends? To all of this, yes. I have made the decision to live my life, not just watch others living pretend lives on a screen.
My quest to simplify my life has led me to think about being very purposeful in these choices. As much as I love the Five-O crew, and dream of Hawaiian living, I think maybe I should work on my life here in the snowy Midwest, and make better use of my time.
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