How to Watch Television (3)

The third in a series. (Browse titles for other installments.)

My previous installment in this series discussed some of the physical components of responsible TV watching. This time I want to get more cerebral and spiritual. Probably the best thing anyone could do would be to disable the cable and dump the dish. No one really needs TV in the same way one needs food and shelter, yet it has become such an integral part of life in this age that going without it is so rare as to be surprising when someone admits it. Eyebrows rise and jaws drop when someone says there is no TV in the house. I frankly admire that person.

However, most of us are going to keep the box babbling away, so I have some suggestions for fine tuning TV watching so that it more closely follows the Scriptural injunctions I mentioned last time: setting our minds on things above and making good use of our time. The first suggestion is so obvious that I shouldn’t have to say it, but experience teaches that it must be said: don’t watch the filthy stuff. I am not referring to the so called adult programming some providers offer; that is obviously unhealthy. I am thinking of certain dramas and sitcoms that present blatantly unwholesome situations as standard fare, and which do nothing to indicate that the behaviors and situations are anything but normal. We should not find lying, cheating, promiscuity and adultery entertaining. WWJD? Change channels.

I am not suggesting that any presentation of inappropriate behavior is cause to bolt. Certainly education and entertainment have always been a part of watching other people mess up. The criterion for judging whether bad behavior is good entertainment is the outcome presented by the drama. If we see a marriage fall apart because of one spouse’s infidelity or a student lose an opportunity as a result of being caught cheating, we learn an important lesson. Even when we don’t see immediate consequences for bad behavior, if we are thinking Christianly, we will realize that although the wicked do often seem to prosper, a day of reckoning is ahead of us all. Do not envy the wicked, the Proverbs warn; their day is coming.

Besides using TV time to adjust our moral compasses, we can also use it to prompt prayer. My sister once told me that every time she heard a siren she would stop and say a short prayer over the situation. It should be a natural reaction to a news bulletin regarding a house fire to pray for the family: their immediate well-being; their physical needs for replacement housing and material goods; the comfort of friends and family; that God would somehow be glorified in the tragedy. The reports coming out of Syria should have us all praying daily for the Christians there: for their safety and their witness. Any mention of our military should prompt prayer for those we know in service and those we don’t know but benefit from every day they serve.

TV dramas can be just as fruitful in providing prayer prompts. When I see a portrayal of a couple struggling in their marriage, I am reminded of someone in my church going through similar difficulties. When someone gives in to temptation, I can say a prayer of thanks that God delivers me from something or that a friend might have the strength to overcome his trials. When I watch depictions of life on today’s school campuses, I offer a prayer of protection for my grand children. My point is that we can find ways to turn most situations into prayers if we are sensitive to the needs around us.

I should say here that I am not opposed to occasionally sitting in front of a game or drama just for escape. Watching the Tigers or the Red Wings or those goofballs on Top Gear, for example, as a down-time pastime is fine if it is not all the time. If you are anywhere near the national average I cited in the first installment of this series (34 hours/week,) it would be irresponsible to use it all as down-time. Try this thought experiment: if you learned today that you have one week left to live, how much TV would you watch? Since none of us knows how much time we have, shouldn’t that always be the computation?

The O-bomb-a Policy

Warning: Rant to follow.

Baker College announced this week that due to Affordable Care Act (ACA) aka Obamacare regulations, they will be required to reclassify their part-time (adjunct) faculty (which is most of its faculty) in a way that limits the number of classes adjuncts will be able to teach. This is no doubt a well intentioned move by bureaucrats to keep employers from classifying large numbers of employees in part-time status so that they can escape the Obamacare requirement to provide health insurance for them. On the surface, it seems harmless. In the real world (a place unfamiliar to Washington bureaucrats) it just means more of us will be forced into lower income brackets.

Washington is also discussing another O-bomb-a attack on citizens to determine whether the President has the Constitutional right to kill American citizens on US soil using drones. OMG! (Sorry. Wasn’t it the Democrats who were so upset with George Bush’s use of drones to assassinate foreign terrorists?) The Senate is examining Attorney General Eric Holder on the policy which he seems to be defending. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is filibustering in Congress to block the confirmation of CIA Director nominee John Brennan because Paul adamantly opposes the administration position on drone use on American soil. May his tribe increase.

I fondly remember Nancy Pelosi’s comment during the original Obamacare debate (debacle?) saying, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it.” Those were the days. Back then we only feared that President Obama and his ilk were trying to take over America. Fear has been replaced with certainty; it is happening. This is the change some people hoped for. Obama has admitted that he wants to rebuild America. Bill Clinton affirmed this during the 2012 campaign. What many people do not realize is that in order to “rebuild” one must first raze the existing structure.

Voters in this country are clearly divided on whether we want the Obama rebuild or not. A la Pelosi’s comment about healthcare, now that we have elected Obama, we are seeing what he really meant by “hope and change.” Barak Obama and the current crop of political progressives hope to reshape America in the pattern of socialist Europe. The rest of us would like to keep the model of America that allowed us to achieve the exceptional success we have. Europe is not currently doing well by any honest appraisal; following their lead is not attractive to those of us who realize that America’s uniqueness has spared us some of the Continent’s pain. Greece (or Spain or even Great Britain) is not an appealing model at present.

I believe the driving force behind Obama’s popularity is a tectonic shift in the American spirit. Something happened in the middle of the last century that fundamentally altered the attitude of millions of Americans. Many things doubtless contributed to this change of heart: the unbridled prosperity immediately after WWII; the breakdown of moral restraint regarding sexuality, drugs and behavior in general; a burgeoning welfare state (this may be effect and cause;) the disappearance of the traditional family unit and its ancillary components; the gradual take-over of media by the political left.

The strength of character that got us through two World Wars and an economic disaster in between is fading from public view. I say “public view” because I think there is still a large conservative cadre in this country; its views are not widely or fairly presented due to media bias. Because the media only reports those things that are complimentary to the Obama administration and its policies, many Americans are fooled by the President’s rhetoric (see Words Have Meaning.) Add to this the human tendency to want something for nothing, and Obama wins re-election by 53%. I hope that this week’s events will stir some of those “five-three-ers” to reconsider their vote for change. Smaller pay checks and armed drones overhead is definitely not the America I hope for.

How to Watch TV (2)

How to Watch TV (2) The second in a series. (Browse titles for other installments.)

Watch less. This may seem like a simplistic suggestion, but it is meant seriously. Too much time in front of the television is not conducive to healthy growth. My introduction to this topic suggested several reasons why a person, particularly a Christian, should consider reducing or at least reevaluating the amount of time spent watching TV. The reasons to go on a TV diet range from effects on one’s physical health to serious modifications to a person’s behavior. This installment will deal with the physical aspects.

First, every human’s available time is limited to twenty-four hours per day. Since most adults have responsibilities which consume large portions of that allotment, controlling the way the remaining time is spent becomes more significant. Immediately after pointing to the Old Testament call to, “Awake, you who sleep,” The Apostle Paul recommends “redeeming the time” because the days are evil. I cannot think of a more apt 21^st century demonstration of what it might mean to “sleep” than what happens to the human mind watching television. Nor can I imagine a more concentrated dose of “evil” than what is presented by most television programming. Paul also admonished believers to “set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth.” What is more earthly than today’s television programming?

What this suggests to me is that being careful to use one’s time wisely would have to include being more intentional about what gets put on the TV screen as well as how much time is spent in front of it. By default, one hour of TV burns one precious hour that could be spent in other more worthwhile pursuits. George Barna’s research from 2011 showed that only 41% of young adults (aged 30-50yrs.) read the Bible outside of church. 60% of this group nonetheless claims to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, 37% claiming to be born again. True, only 35% believe the Bible is totally accurate, but one wonders if that might be in part because they don’t know what it says having not read it regularly.

Besides replacing TV viewing with reading the Bible, one might also read other wholesome literature. If maintaining a reading schedule is difficult, one can enlist the aid of other like-minded souls. I attend a lunch meeting with several friends who have joined in the reading of five books in the last couple years. I am sure neither I nor my buddies would have read those books without the inducement and cordial accountability of our weekly meetings. Even if we don’t discuss the book much some weeks, we have developed meaningful relationships over time; that too bears rewards.

Those who still have children at home or just need more quality time (which TV time is not) with a spouse, might consider the introduction of table games as an alternative. There are many newer games that are not only fun to play, but they also build relationships, stimulate meaningful interaction and broaden one’s knowledge. Even the old standbys like Monopoly, Scrabble or Battleship can be a worthy substitute for that umpteenth crime drama. The downside of this alternative is that one is still sitting on one’s backside.

Probably the best thing a person could do to replace TV from a health standpoint is go for a walk (or a jog if so inclined.) Not everyone is as fortunate as I to live next door to a nature preserve with walking trails aplenty. Many communities are developing safe and attractive places to stretch the legs. Even a trip to the mall can become a work-out session if so chosen. Some even open early for just that purpose. If one is not a morning person, that prime time TV hour could be spent strolling the promenade at the mall instead of learning whodunit for the third time this week.

There are even ways to make the time spent bathed in the photon stream of the TV more profitable. First, though advertisers will hate this suggestion, I recommend pre-recording virtually everything. This allows a one hour drama, for example, to be viewed in about forty-five minutes. Bam! Fifteen minutes “gained.” The other benefit DVR-ing provides is the coordination with one’s schedule. It is not necessary to stay up until 11 pm to catch that favorite show; it can be recorded tonight and watched tomorrow in an earlier time slot. What I am aiming at here is getting to bed earlier so that I can get up early and still be rested. I want to get up early because I have an appointment with a couple free weights and a cup of coffee with my prayer journal.

If recording is not an option, just sitting there like a lump should be avoided; do something. During the commercials (here I go making enemies again,) one can get up and walk. In a multi-level home, the stairs will multiply the work done during the commercial break. A little research will uncover several healthy isometric or free-weight exercises that can be done while watching as well. Something as simple as standing frequently and stretching can rescue TV watching from the list of totally unhealthy activities.

My personal goal is to watch less, as previously recommended. I don’t want to get to my heavenly mansion (where I don’t expect a TV, by the way) and be shown all the heavenly things I could have accomplished on earth if I had not spent so much time glued to the box. My next installment will offer some ways to for believers to apply Jesus’ injunction to “watch and pray” to television watching. Stay tuned.

How to Watch Television (1)

This is intended to be the first in a series.

A recent study by Nielsen analyzed in the New York Daily News reveals that American adults watch 34 hours of television programming weekly. The study shows people over 65 watch 48 hours per week. Since many of those seniors are retired, their number is not hard to believe. But one wonders where young and middle aged adults find five hours per day to sit in front of the tube. Assuming eight hours of work, an eight hour break to sleep, and just three additional hours for commuting, shopping, bathroom breaks and whatever, this statistic means we are spending every free moment of every day in front of the television. Yikes!

I have found myself rationalizing my own TV habits by saying I watch mostly news programming or quasi-educational shows about cars (see Hilariously Content) or hunting or history or food preparation (my wife has converted me into a Food Channel junkie.) I limit my TV dramas to two or three weekly serials simply because I cannot keep up with more than that and maintain my work schedule. Then we usually watch a couple movies together every week, so I can see my hours-per-day average is creeping up there.

I also get a different exposure than what Nielsen numbers might imply. Much (if not most) of my viewing outside the news programming is done through the DVR. This means I skip most of the commercials. (How silly I feel when I hit the FFW button when it is live, though.) Advertising remains a major impact for most viewers.  TV Free America reports that a significant portion of viewing time is devoted to commercials; children see 20,000 ads every year and by age sixty-five will have seen two million TV advertisements. It is unarguable that all that exposure molds our thinking in significant ways.

No discussion of television can ignore the amount of violence which is presented. According to TV Free America, by age eighteen we have witnessed 200,000 acts of violence. I must admit that my limited menu of drama includes only shows depicting crime solvers. Even the news programming I defend as more acceptable presents stories about crime, disaster and war during 53.8% of their air time. Since eighteen minutes of every news “hour” is devoted to advertising, this means I get ONLY 22 minutes of mayhem per hour of news coverage. Again, there can be no doubt this leads to reduced sensitivity to violence.

The effects of television on our society and on each individual cannot be overstated. Everyone has heard the “when I was a kid…” stories ad nauseum. Forgive me, then, but I did spend a major portion of my youth running around outdoors. Overindulgence in television is a large contributor to the obesity epidemic in youth and adults. Rampant materialism is not unrelated to the continual drumming of TV advertisers. Unstable minds will not be made healthier by watching an average of thirty acts of violence every day. This discussion has not even touched on the ubiquitous game consoles attached to those TV’s or the ever-present hand-held devices that appear to be evolving into a new appendage on kids as young as two years old.

Christians must address this issue proactively. While unplugging the television is a real alternative, as drastic as it may sound, there are measures that can be taken to mitigate the ill effects (I almost wrote “evil” effects) of television on our souls. I plan to write a series of posts offering creative ways to rescue our souls from the demon in the box. Stay tuned. In the meantime take a walk, read a book, turn the tube off and go roll in the snow with your kids (grandkids.) The glow of the winter sun (or moon) is far healthier than anything the LCD emits in the living room.