Television or tele'violence'?

 

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2005 11:53 PM

Subject: Television or tele'violence'?

Television or tele'violence'?

 

Many of us complain that there no time for doing many things that we want to do in our life. It is not as though we do not have the time to do it, but our available time was not utilised for that purpose. During the day, our time is used on various activities, some useful and some others not so useful.  Knowingly or unknowingly, we waste our time.

 

One of the major time wasters is Television viewing. Even though TV is one of the very useful technological inventions of modern times, the misuse of this medium is also very much a reality. Much of what we view is not going to be useful to us in our life. Think about the amount of violence and crimes that are shown on the TV and consider whether there is any need to view them at all in our life.

 

If you critically analyse the contents of the television programme and evaluate the material quality, you will realise how much emotional violence is depicted in the same. Consider the commercials on alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, the news items on corruption and other forms of mental violence. For the next one week sincerely log the number of minutes you spend on television viewing and calculate how many man hours per month and hence per year you have spent your valuable time during the past five years. You will be amazed and stunned about the figure.

 

Lot of discretion is required to decide which programme you are going to watch and for how long. Find out why you are tempted to watch the television. Perhaps the positioning of the TV has to be changed. Or you may have to use a timer to remind you that the time you have allotted for television viewing is over. You could also write a small sticker with and attractive slogan and fix it on the TV screen to remind you about your new resolution of restraint. Perhaps you can make a public declaration on your 'war against television viewing!

 

Let me quote Sidney J. Harris:

 

" My objection to television is not merely that the quality of programmes is depressingly low; it is also that the screen exercises a hypnotic effect on the majority of watchers. It is a terrible slavery of the mind- and, as Aristotle warned us a long time ago.' The worst thing about slavery is that eventually the slaves get to like it' ".

 

Try and do something at least from to day?

 

N C Sridharan