Why Life is Better without TV

It's not that I don't ever watch TV, it's that I cancelled my cable more than a year ago and I don't miss it one bit!

Okay, so I do wish I got NBC right now, as the Olympics have started and I always enjoy watching a few events. Aside from the Olympics, I am positively happier and more productive without TV. It was at least a year and a half ago that I decided to cancel my cable. I have a small antenna so I do pick up a few channels, but it all depends on which stations are coming through and that has changed with the seasons. Right now, I get ABC and a couple PBS channels.

But I am absolutely glad there is no temptation to flip through channels or watch some horrible show just because it's the easy thing to do. Not that I ever did that too often, but I never realized how much my mind was soaking in the subliminal messages that shows and commercials invoke upon viewers. The amount of inappropriate, amoral, and wasteful things displayed just doesn't need to be filling my mind. Actions and advertisements that push the line even further, telling you that it's okay to do certain things. Too much of this, and soon you are accepting of these types of behaviors without even realizing it.

Having TV be our moral compass is a bit on the extreme end of the spectrum I suppose. I sure do enjoy a good show now and then. But it wasn't until I said goodbye to cable that I recognized how much better my life was without all the junk cluttering my mind.

Instead, I find myself spending more time reading the Bible, writing, reading other books, running, catching up on blogs, and sometimes I do watch DVDs that I own. There are some good shows on TV, I am sure. If there is something I really want to watch, I catch it online. However, I don't regret for a second cancelling my cable, and I don't ever long for it.

It is amazing how sometimes taking a step back in the world of technology can be so refreshing. Maybe when you get to the point of having too many realms of technology you just have to drop one. Smart phone, iPod, laptop. Who needs TV on top of that?