TV

Television has always been a strange thing for me, and is at the same time one of the hardest things and one of the easiest for me to “warm up to” in regards to “listening for God in the midst of…”

I see TV as a very good thing in many ways. I love Seinfeld, and am prepared to challenge (and beat) anyone I know in trivia. I think the Simpson’s is the best social commentary of my generation. And I’m convinced a bowl of cereal just tastes better while I’m watching Sportscenter. Even growing up, my family used to watch “Wild America” on PBS and learn about… well… Wild America (animals and stuff.)

But with that being said, I’ve always seen TV as somehow evil. Or at the best, something to be taken in very intentional moderation. I’ve not always succeeded in doing this… hence the Seinfeld Trivia Challenge. I’m not saying it is evil. But… I’m not saying it’s not. Certainly, aspects of shows and general “tv media” are degenerative and unhealthy. But I think the line is tricky here.

I recently read about an article/report (yes, I read “about” it… not even the report itself, but anyway) that was done by a Catholic publication called “How the Talking Box Changed a Village”. Basically, the report talked about this remote Alaskan village that mainly went Caribou hunting. Storytelling was at the heart of their culture, and their traditions/beliefs ran deep. Well someone brought a TV (I was unclear about who. A distant relative returning? A friend? A missionary?). Anyway, two decades later, the Caribou hunts were a rare traditional formality, every single house had a TV, and storytelling was essentially dead.

I don’t care how good you think television is. That is scary.

I thought about this because I recently went to Young Life camp and then on a family vacation to our lake house back-to-back weeks. Neither locations have a TV. And here’s the thing… I didn’t miss it. I wasn’t even aware that I was without! I’m not sure exactly where I’m going with this, but it’s been a while since I’ve gone two weeks without a TV and not noticed.