Wasteland

In a world where almost everyone complains about being too busy, while those same people long to improve the quality of their lives, a strange phenomena occurs. We have time to watch television. We don't seem to get enough sleep. Many people read so little that they could be considered functionally illiterate. We are desperate for ways to spend meaningful time with our children, while concerned about how they'll turn out. Yet, we have time to watch television. We would like to get more involved at church. We hardly know our neighbor's names. We want to make a difference in this hurting world. We fervently desire to improve our marriages, not to mention our other relationships. Still, we have time to watch television. T.V. has become a staple of our relaxation time, our educational time, our family time, our quiet time, our "I just need to unwind" time. Isn't there something wrong with that? I know folks who watch so many "reality" shows that they have actually begun to accept those shows as reality. But if we carefully consider how much time and emotional investment we have in television, we soon discover that we have very little to show for it. Perhaps the best metaphor is that of drinking sodas. We're thirsty, so we drink a soda. It's cold, it tastes great. Unfortunately, as any doctor or serious athlete will tell you, the more sod pop you drink the more dehydrated you actually become. Television is much the same. It tastes great going down, but leaves us emotionally and intellectually dehydrated. Take a reality test: take one minute and make a list of the five most important things in your life, or five personal goals you would like to accomplish. Then put a checkmark next to each one that watching T.V. moves you even one step closer to. Take a look around your life and identify all the things that you always mean to get around to ... those are all better choices than televison. Enough said. Have a great day, and make it count.

Wasteland
In my living room, a monster lurks
which threatens you and me
And I haven't strength to turn it off
that monster is T.V.
It fills my precious hours with naught
and charms my senses so
I hardly even realize
where all the evenings go
It baby sits the children
when I need them occupied
While assuring me it educates
but in my heart I know it lied
When I have a moment
to myself to relax or think or pray
I seem to turn the T.V. on
and the time is washed away
By a flood of sound and color
and a world of fantasy
Which leaves me numb and empty
but still wanting more T.V.
I can sit and flip the channels
until the early morning hours
Even though I don't enjoy it
I am helpless in its powers
While in the next room stacks of books
are piled by my bed
I choose the mindless entertainer
and the classics go unread
I have a beautiful guitar
a pool, an exercising bike
A host of interests, friends and hobbies
that I cherish and I like
I have a home in need of maintenance
and a dusty Bible too
How can I squeeze in television
when there's so much I want to do
I complain until I'm breathless
how I'm busy, tired and stressed
Then I sink back on the couch again
a hypocrite, obsessed
What message do I send my children
as they learn to deal with life
Are my priorities in order
with my time, my God, my wife
Are Vanna, Bart and Gilligan
worthy of my precious hours
Or are they just the bait for
something larger which devours
Honor, goodness and compassion
leisure, patience, quality
Have I ever seen a survey
recommending more T.V.
No, it certainly is otherwise
and let there be no mistake
That this medium's proponents
are paid endorsers, on the take
Who would have me think it harmless
to watch a million people die
To import crime and infidelity
on purpose, right before my eyes
To have my children taught by actors
how life is and ought to be
So in the end, they can't discern
real life from fantasy
The time has come not to cut back
an hour or two a day
The time has come to pull the plug
and put remote controls away
I hear the world is a better place
because of our technology
But I know my life is emptier
when I fill it with T.V.
By Frank Carpenter ©