You know it’s been almost six months of doing these LiveDifferent Challenges, and I have refrained from mentioning TV. Mostly because I don’t want anyone to get the idea that I’m a legalistic weirdo who thinks TVs are evil. They aren’t. Just because we don’t have one doesn’t mean we think they are inherently bad. They aren’t. The second reason was that all the people who I know read this blog don’t have a problem with watching too much TV, so it didn’t seem relevant. But this week I read a fun article about People Who Live Without TV, and I thought it was fascinating. I would not call myself a “religious right ultraconservative” person, (as the author does) in fact I love “crunchy granola” and I recycle religiously, I just want to live a life as pleasing to Christ as possible, so call me what you will.
Growing up we always owned a TV, but didn’t really watch it. I can remember Little House on the Prairie and renting The Wilderness Family from the library, and sometimes being allowed to watch The Dukes of Hazard with my dad, but other than that I don’t remember really watching TV. It certainly wasn’t a daily occurrence. So, I think maybe that is part of the reason that I have no interest in it. It’s not a discipline for me to not have a TV, it’s a preference. I’d have to agree with the woman in the article who simply said, “It’s just something I don’t want in the home – it’s a perpetual annoyance, like a gnat.” Agreed.
But even more than that, what disturbs me about television is the trash that is on it. I think perhaps because I’m not accustomed to it, it shocks me even more when I see the boobs, butts, sexual innuendos, and downright disgusting humor that has become the norm on today’s TV. Christians certainly aren’t called to live in a bubble, but if I can choose to limit my family’s exposure to trash, I will! For the same reason that I don’t feed them Cheetos and white Minute Rice–because I love them.
We actually used to own a TV, which was a Christmas present. Where we’ve chosen to draw the line is at cable. I have no problem with the physical box that is a TV, and if we can tweak some rabbit ears and get the news or some educational documentary on PBS that’s great, but choosing to pay a monthly fee so that trash can be streaming directly into our home is not for me. We already pay a monthly fee to have our trash taken away from our house! I don’t want it back! 🙂
Jeff and I do enjoy curling up together occasionally and watching a movie. In the last six months we’ve been blessed to see Cinderella Man, Amazing Grace, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. There is no black and white answer to how one’s household should deal with the TV, but if we don’t think and pray and act intentionally, with the aim of making our home as Christlike as possible, I’m afraid the trash sneaks in and pretty soon the entire house smells like the garbage of the world.
So this week, just think about it. I’m not saying you have to toss your TV in the trash. Someday perhaps we’ll own another one. But consider what is allowed to sneak into your home. Think of yourself as a guard–protecting you and your family from the garbage that the world is trying to sell. I have enough trouble keeping the mind of Christ as it is–I don’t need any more competition from the world! The pull is strong enough!
When in doubt, maybe just fast TV for a week. Encourage your kids and husband to join you. Read the paper. Check the news online. Read a book. Go outside. Go for a walk or lie in the grass. Whatever you decide, guard your precious heart from any garbage you don’t need. Take out the trash…and leave it there.
4 thoughts on “LiveDifferent Challenge (24): Take out the Trash!”
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Thanks for writing about this, and for posting that article. It was really interesting! We have gone totally without TV for 21 months now, and for the first 6 months of our marriage we only had the box-no cable. I watched the news but that was about it. I am so happy to be shielded from the garbage on TV nowadays, and we do so much more with our time. I honestly don’t know how I would even fit TV back into my life if I ever wanted to (God forbid). The article said the average adult watches 3 hours of TV every day. 3 hours! I would have to give up long runs, reading my Bible and writing my blog in order to watch 3 hours of TV every day. My quality of life would plummet instantly.
Thanks again for this post. I’ll leave the garbage outside!
We have have done both. We’ve gone without and we’ve had TV. We have a TV but no cable or rabbit ears. It’s used for movies and games. But what I love–it’s not in our living room anymore set up as the god of the room where everything centered around it but it’s stuffed back in a very small little room. I much prefer to not have cable. I find when we have it I all the sudden have shows I HAVE to watch and everything takes a back burner. And watch out if you interrupt my show! And it doesn’t matter what’s going on I canNOT miss the season finale…oy vey. It’s sad. We love not having it. Freedom. =)
It was two years ago at a women’s retreat that I felt the Lord telling me to give up cable. Warren had wanted to give it up for some time so he was easily won over! The main reason God had me give it up was the amount of time spent doing nothing worth while. I cannot say I gave it up easily. The first 3 months were HARD but God was faithful. Two years later I know that if we got it back I would be just as addicted as I was before but I can honestly say I am so glad we are without. We still have a TV for watching movies but aren’t able to get any TV channels without cable. It has enriched my life to be without. God knew what He was doing once again!!!
Well, we have been married 20 years and have spent most, not all, but most of that time without cable. It is interesting because we did not consciously make a “healthy” choice, we just didn’t want to spend the money on it and our kids didn’t know what they were missing. But as we did have finances available and opened our home up to the outside world, we found over time we had given up so much. Quiet was first, it was always on in the back ground noise, talking, we talked way less to one another and shushed more frequently. Then there was reading, we all read far less, which is something I am passionate about. However, even with all of this revelation, I had become addicted. I did not, as Kellie said, want to miss my show! I did not want to give up my delights in the HG channel. So a good friend, Sheri, told me she decided to give up hers. I was so inspired by that I went right home and thought about it, for six months. At lunch one day I told Sheri and she said what any good friend would, go home and turn off the cable. Yeah, it’s been almost two years now and we are much happier!