Why Is TV Bad For You?
It may seem harsh to use the word bad to refer to viewing
TV. Anything in moderation is not
bad. However, the average person does not moderate their TV
viewing. It is designed to suck you in
to watch one show and then the next. Before
you know it you could have spent 3 to 4 hours watching. The trouble with this is TV is a passive
activity. For the most part it does not
improve your life. Yes, there are many
shows that are educational and entertaining.
But those shows are in the minority.
I am not anti-TV. It is the amount of TV that I am against. What if someone says, “but I just enjoy
watching TV.” I can understand there are
situations where someone’s work is very stressful and their time commitments do
their children. TV is an opportunity for
them to relax. This is most applicable
to single parents. I would offer that a
good book provides a de-stress time as well.
Reading a book is not a totally passive activity. A book can take your
mind off of the challenges of day-to-day life as well as entertaining you and
educating you.
A lot of TV shows, especially scripted reality ones, do not
represent the best that TV can offer. They rarely offer a positive message. I
know a lot of people would say the same about very popular shows. That they are not supposed to have any
message but are there to entertain. This
is a very subjective topic. What I may
view is totally useless time in front of the TV, another person may get
enjoyment out of it.
My point is that time, your time, is valuable. Do you want to waste your time just watching
TV? You should never be able to say that
you did not have time to do something if you chose to watch TV. There has to be something you’ve always
wanted to do but said you didn’t have the time for it. Take a look at how much time you spend
watching TV. Then ask yourself is it really the best use of your time? You may
very well say it is, and that is okay. It may appear that I am judging people
who choose to watch TV. That is not my intent. I just want to make people aware
of how TV can suck them in. It is very much like cruising the Internet, playing
video games or watching YouTube videos. You can start those and pretty soon you
have consumed a significant amount of time.
I do watch some TV. I enjoy watching a football game or movie
and the occasional TV series. However, I am very judicious with the time I do
spend watching TV. I also know it is a trade-off from doing some other activity
that may be better for me. I would be okay with eliminating the TV from the
house. However, that would be very selfish of me. Just because I would be okay
with it does not mean other members in the house would feel the same way. They
are more than welcome to watch what they want when they want. If I want to sit
and watch I can, but most of the time I go to another part of the house and do
what I enjoy. It works well in my household and we all get to do what want to
do. That is the most important thing.
I still recommend that one night a week you give reading a
book chance. It will be well worth your
time.
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