About 4 1/2 years ago we decided to make the leap to a TV free life. We still watch movies sometimes, but overall we're pretty much off the box these days.
So, after almost 5 years with no TV, here are my reflections:
- Indeed, we have way more time. We're also more purposeful with that time.
- We get our news from less sensational, print-based sources rather than the TV news and I think we are correspondingly less terrified.
- We don't want anywhere near as many things as we used to.
- We have no idea what movies are playing.
- When we see sitcoms now they all seem really overacted.
- Our house is really quiet and peaceful to me now, whereas that quiet would've been uncomfortable to me before.
- I MISS FOOTBALL.
- We both miss Food Network and HGTV.
- We still have to be really wary of the computer for the "time sink" factor.
Is anybody else out there TV free? What are your thoughts?
8 comments:
Hi, friend! Thanks for your blog post. I found myself thinking about little discussions for each of your points, so I thought I would just post them here.
Indeed, we have way more time. We're also more purposeful with that time.
(That is very true. TV can take up a lot of time that you could spend doing other things. A person has to put limits on her/himself and make thoughtful choices about time spent. On the flip side, TV can be such an amazing way to spend time together. If you educate yourself on the amazing programming that you can find on television you can have a similar experience to great literature (thought stimulating, educational, empathy inducing, self-growth, etc.). Josh and I have some of our very most deep discussions about life after watching a TV show such as "Breaking Bad", "Mad Men", "Men of a Certain Age", "The Shield", HBO documentaries on subjects like Autism, the economy, sex addiction, etc. I seriously could go on and on with a list of great shows.)
We get our news from less sensational, print-based sources rather than the TV news and I think we are correspondingly less terrified.
(We don't get our news from TV, usually. TV news is generally crap. We (especially Josh) get our news from newspapers online. Also, you can find balanced news from news programs such as PBS's Frontline. You also can be very informed about what is going on in the world from PBS's Nova. You just have to be wary of what you watch and make informed decisions).
We don't want anywhere near as many things as we used to.
(Yes, TV can certainly fuel the "desire fire". However, I am much more driven to want more stuff by going to places like Costco, the mall, and other people's homes. Besides that, we don't watch commercials, so we don't get that temptation. But, like with anything, you have to set boundaries for yourself and stick to your spending goals).
We have no idea what movies are playing.
(That's a bummer! Recently, some really high quality and thought provoking films have come out. Let me know if you would like recommendations).
When we see sitcoms now they all seem really overacted.
(You are not watching good sitcoms, then. Most of them are not good, in my opinion. If you ever feel in the mood for a well written and well acted sitcom you should watch "Community" or "30 Rock". Such hilarious and dead-on shows! The writing bears some similarities to "The Daily Show" and "Colbert Report")
Our house is really quiet and peaceful to me now, whereas that quiet would've been uncomfortable to me before.
(I love the peace and quiet of no TV. We just turn it off).
I MISS FOOTBALL.
(Ugh! Sports on TV make me hate TV. I truly am working hard on enjoying watching sports more so I am a more well rounded person. It is a work in progress. Josh doesn't watch a ton of sports on TV, but when he does, it is a great opportunity for us to have indidual time and that is usually when I do crafting type activities).
(continued)
We both miss Food Network and HGTV.
(Yes, there are some really fun shows on those networks, although we have to be careful. Those kinds of shows turn out to be the biggest time suckers. We haven't been watching those networks lately).
We still have to be really wary of the computer for the "time sink" factor
(You are right on, sister! FB is the biggest one. I have had to make a concious choice lately to not spend as much time on FB. It can be extremely addicting. However, I think it is ok to take time occasionally to let your mind veg a bit. Moderation.)
In the end, I completely I agree that TV can be something that takes away from other important parts of your life. But, I don't believe in complete deprivation. Here is my analogy: CHOCOLATE. You can eat all kinds of super processed, cheap, and poor quality chocolate. You can eat M&M's all day. You can gain weight, get heart problems, get rotten teeth, and more- all because of eating too much chocolate. OR, you can completely cut chocolate out of your life. You can watch others eat chocolate and never partake. You can go out to a nice dinner and make sure that you don't order the chef's dessert. YOu can be sure that you never bake anything with chocolate in it. OR, you can occasionally enjoy a beautifully prepared, taste bud sensation made from chocolate. You can have a beautiful social encounter with friends that is highlighted by chocolate fondue or a chocolate sundae. You are in control of what chocolate you take in and can trust yourself that you are making good decisions with your chocolate intake.
Wow! I got a bit carried away. Thanks for inspiring a fun discussion, Alyssa. That is one of my favorite things about being friends with you!
Yup! We are! Hubby put the TVs OUT a few months ago, in an attempt to spend more quality time with his kiddos. It's been great. Hardly even think about it or miss it. We do watch a show on hulu now & then......
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Thanks for the thoughts Melissa! We definitely don't think TV is a bad thing at all, and we don't think nobody should watch it. This was just our experience with not watching it.
We've pretty much been t.v. free for about 4 years. We watch Netflix and certain t.v. shows on the internet. We have also discovered that it has cut out the "want" - especially with our kids.
And we also have no idea what movies are in the theaters.
Hmm... I did go TV free about 5 years ago for a few years, but I have to say I do like tv when you can have a DVR, I only watch shows I love, and FF through commercials, and the only time I have time is when the baby's are napping I can sit down relax, watch my fav 1 hr show and then kids are up and back to the grind! It's my sanity and my me time! lol but ya it can easiely be a time sucker if you let it like anything in life! Computer, FB, phone, texting, a good book... your friend was right, anything in moderation! :)
We are TV free, have been for 10 years! I love it for all the reasons you mentioned, but number one on the list is that TV is just so much more trashy than it was when we were kids. They keep allowing more and more things that are just completely off my moral compass. I too miss Food Network and HGTV, and I am guilty of watching these two channels at the houses of my relatives! My DH listens to football on the radio, you can always find a radio station on the internet playing the game you want to hear! I'm not a football fan myself:D
We aren't TV free - but we just got rid of cable/satellite and are now just getting shows off the air - the funny thing is that I rarely watch tv now except for programs with J like Sesame Street/ The Cat in the Hat Knows alot about that/Thomas the Train... we TIVO everything too so we don't have to watch the commercials. One thing we did find by going to shows off the air - there is a station that plays only retro shows from the 70s and 80s - it's amazing to me to realize how different the shows back then were, in that there is no profanity/very little blood/gore and police officers were actually respected/respectful.
Needless to say - I do miss a few shows - but we're finding that we can find most of them on the internet anyway.
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