SHOOT YOUR TV

“Shoot Your Television”                                                                     11.02.12

   Do we not like to think that men of a by-gone era were of a  holier 
and a more Spiritually alive sort?  Today we  find ourselves  settling 
for watered down  brand of  character that would rather  recline in a
la-z-boy watching some innocuous  perversion of  life on TV,  than to
be about the business of making a life for our families.  One wag put
it thusly;  “If we were not busy watching others do it on TV, we could 
be doing it ourselves.”  Whatever it is you enjoy watching  others do 
would  be much  more enjoyable if  you were engaged in that activity. 
Since  I can still remember a  time when  entertainment in the  home 
was centered  around the family doing,  instead of  the family sitting 
around watching others. The sense I get from this phenomena is loss. 
The loss of children developing talents within the safety of the home 
and the loss of a closeness to members of the family getting to know 
each other, for better or for worse.  Without touching on the fact that 
most of the stuff we see on the tube is sub-standard at best, the indo-
lence it breeds is destructive to the fabric of our culture. Why do we 
believe we must be constantly entertained and why are we willing to 
sit through an endless stream of commercials that create desires for  
things  we must have that  are not by any stretch of  the imagination,
 necessities?  

   We do not have time to learn the art of conversation because of this 
obsession with glitz, mush and sleaze called entertainment that perpe-
tually gushes into our homes . Over the past few years there has been 
in circulation, a bumper sticker that reads, “Shoot your TV.”  The lon-
ger I live, the more the idea appeals to  me.  The television,  like any-
thing  claiming our  attention, must be regulated.  (Within the family, 
without government intrusion.) How do we go about the responsibility
of controlling how we spend our time?  During the past few years the
successful elements of our culture have started using  planners on a 
daily basis to segment their days into manageable bytes. In the plan-
ner, the day is divided into hours and minutes and the goal is to make 
the best use of our time a daily habit.  If one does this, he is bound to 
be more effective and productive in whatever he does.  Normally this 
is done by planning ahead about two weeks and becoming more spe-
cific as the day gets closer. On the evening before, the day is laid out 
as nearly as possible to make best use of that day.  Some are so spe-
cific there are no more that 5 minutes at a time, during that day, for 
which there is not a planned activity.  Is this the way to live a success-
ful life?  Let me suggest something more practical. 

          The best plan I have seen is for the person planning to list the 6
most important things to do for the next day. In the event the 6 things 
on the list are finished by noon or even sooner, another  plan is made 
with another list for the day.  If  for some reason  the 6 things are not 
completed,  the unfinished business is carried over into  the next day.  
This plan is practical and do-able.  Since there have been few days in 
my life when things have gone as  planned, one must always be some-
what flexible to accommodate the unexpected.  There must be an abi-
lity to factor in  the unexpected as  it appears.  Without surprise,  life 
might be dull and  uneventful.  (I have  not experienced a day without
surprise.)   If  everything were  planned and arranged ahead of  time, 
where would we find the “spice of life?”  Know this, you and I are not 
in charge of the happenings of the day.  We can be prepared for most 
eventualities if we take care of the necessities of life on a daily basis.   
Always  be prepared for  things to cost a little  more than  you expect, 
and to take a little longer than you had planned
.
     Just what does all of this planning have to do with dispensing with 
TV?  If we have a plan for each day, we are not as apt to “flop” down 
in an easy chair and waste our evenings or afternoons in such a mind-
less  activity as watching TV.  (Read a good book,  or write a book of  
your own.)  Another good reason to do away with  television is, moral 
decay is evident in almost every program.  Today’s programs contain 
scenes of  explicit sex,  semi-nudity,  vulgarities and  innuendo  not in 
evidence just a few years ago.  The general trend in all entertainment  
today is coarse and  has a tendency to  cheapen the chaste lifestyle of 
the Scripture.

      This article was  conceived some  time prior to  the emergence of 
     FaceBook, Texting and the practice of almost everyone constantly 
     using a  cell phone.  This  subject  requires  a completely  separate 
     consideration and is, in my estimation, an even worse scourge than 
     anything  mentioned above.
                   No extra charge for the personal opinion about that. 

 donporter,sr 12.14.12, edited 5.5.17