Recently, I have had some drastic changes and adjustments in my life. One of them was removing the TV from the lounge room. Our loyal and often grossly overworked TV, bless its trusty old frame, has been quietly retired to a corner in the spare room: its life temporarily unplugged, its face void of expressions, its voice silent.
It has been shockingly uncomfortable for me.
It would be cool if I was pulling off some psych experiment. You know, to see if withdrawal from the TV makes extra hairs grow or something along that silly line. Unfortunately, I’m not that cool. I might sound like I’m exaggerating but I have to say it was rather necessary. As they say, drastic situations call for drastic measures.
It had become distractive and damaging. Removing it as the focus of my daily life was something I really wanted & needed to do; time to wean off, switch off and refocus on more important things. I’m sure it’s not the case for everyone but in my household, it had become a damaging problem.
I never realised how dependent I was on white noise or the noise of the TV in the background as I go about my chores. I would have the TV on almost all day for company. It was my lunch and dinner partner. When faced with difficult situations, it offered me hours of laughter, action and romance in its welcoming arms. It is amazing how much comfort (or maybe, pseudo-comfort) one can gain from a TV!
In place of the TV, I have decided to spend my time on reading. This is another one of those out-of-the-ordinary decisions that I would usually never ever make.
I have dug out books that I want to read & feed my mind with. Sadly, reading is very much of a concerted effort for me.
I have done Literature all through school and Uni; but the weird truth is I never really liked reading. I never was patient or persistent enough to read past the first 2 chapters. I would always end up skipping everything and reading the ending or worst - Wikipedia-ing the entire story! I am certainly not high on patience or perseverance and my restlessness have been exhibited on my dependence on the TV.Weaning off from the TV has been so difficult. There is this constant pervasive discomfort eating away at my insides - That is when you know you are addicted to something! It is truly shocking and surprising for me to feel what I am feeling. I am constantly restless without its company.
I certainly am conscious that this might very well sound loopy and some might say there is nothing wrong with being addicted to the TV. Truth is only I would know how badly it has affected my personal life and relationships. It had become a serious source of distraction and a pseudo-comfort to withdraw to when facing difficulties. I would really like to spend more time in reflection, reading and prayer. This would be one of my resolutions for the new year. Beyond just an issue of TV-or-no-TV, I guess this is me rearranging my priorities and refocusing.
I've been meaning to learn the ukulele properly and I think it's a good time now. They are right where the TV used to be.
When I’m ready again, his truly Mr TV can come out of retirement; his voice can be heard again in my house yet it will be different – it will be a choice, not an addiction; a luxury, not a necessity; an occasional treat, not a daily distraction aiding me in withdrawing & fleeing from the more important things in life.
Here's to taking necessary (albeit, difficult) steps to better & more meaningful lives!
Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT!
