Nope, this one’s not about Simon and Garfunkel - though I’m giving them props because it’s only fair since I’m stealing their title.
I’m wondering how much the media has infiltrated your life? Does it influence your decisions, your mood, your purchases, the way you raise your family? Is it a non-corporeal safety blanket in your life? Do you need the constant hum of a television, radio, iPod, video game in the background to make you feel comfortable? Up until recently I could have answered “yes” to all of these questions. I mean, I always knew that the media treated me like a moron - “you need to wear this to look pretty”, “you need to have this feature in your car” “if you use this toothpaste your teeth will be so white they can see them from space” yadayadayada. I knew all of the different techniques the media uses to get you buy a certain product or to shift the political climate. Yet, instead of choosing to do something about it, I just accepted it as a normal part of life and in doing so I continued to let unhealthy, unnecessary, sometimes completely idiotic messages infiltrate my consciousness and subconsciousness. Why let my critical brain matter waste its time on such garbage?
Let’s back it up a bit though. I’m not saying that all TV programming is bad, that all music is bad, or that the news isn’t important. What I am saying is that the media is a tool that we should be using with purpose and intent - not letting it use us. You can be assured that advertisers and other media moguls have purpose and intent when they release their message to the masses. Likewise, we should have just as much purpose and intent when it comes to what we read, watch and listen to.
I used to read the newspaper or watch The National everyday. At one point it was part of my job to read several newspapers a day. Unfortunately, I have a weakness of letting sad or disturbing news stories get to me - this would set my morning or evening up for frustration or sadness just from what I was reading in the news. After all, big news stories tend revolve around tragedy, injustice, violence, politics, poverty and greed. It is important to stay informed, but is it necessary to focus on these same types of stories every day? I think once a week should be sufficient. If its big news its not going anywhere and you probably won’t need a newspaper or radio to hear about it anyway.
As for television - well, who doesn’t like curling up in front of the television on a sleepy, cold day and just turning off your brain while you channel surf? It’s an awesome thing once in awhile - but the truth is if you’re spending the majority of your free time in front of a television you’re probably wasting your life away, especially with some of the programming out there (does anyone else remember when TLC used to be educational and informative?). Society’s general lack of self-discipline when it comes to television has made our culture desensitized, entertainment dependent and grossly obese. Kids are being raised by Treehouse (children’s shows just ain’t what they used to be ;) Adults are turning off their brains far too often because TV is simply too easy of an escape from their daily challenges. I’ve gone without television in my home for over a year now. And honestly, their are days when I really miss it (like the sleepy, cold ones) but surprisingly, those days are fewer in number than I thought. Without television I study more, read more, get more house work done and I spend a whole lot less (I’m at least $100 richer every month). Life is simpler with less drama taking up brain space and no more countless minutes of my short life being used up on Cover Girl commercials. I really do think its worth trying out.
My latest challenge has been cutting back on radio and music usage. I absolutely love music. I was raised on it. My dad listens to just about anything and everything from Scottish folk music to classic rock to country. On top of that he can play guitar, ukelele, harmonica and he’s learning the banjo and is playing with a mandolin. I grew up playing piano and singing in numerous choirs. There’s nothing wrong with music in and of itself, but I think we can all agree that no matter what our tastes there is some pretty bad “music” out there. I’ve decided that I don’t need to be subjected to it. I’ve also decided that although music is a wonderful thing, there is also something wonderful about being able to sit comfortably or go about your day in silence as well. This was tricky for me. Living alone gets - as the word suggests - lonely. Its nice to have the sounds of human interaction in the background. I didn’t realize how dependent I had become on it though. I realized that I was uncomfortable sitting quietly in my own house with my own thoughts. This disturbed me. After all, if you’re not comfortable with your own thoughts you’re always going to be pushing them away - and they might turn out be really great thoughts! This is what I have discovered. By making an effort to go about my day without music or radio personalities in the background I’ve been able to focus so much better on things that I need to be thinking about - like what’s really important in life.
What’s important in life is not what’s happening on the next episode of Grey’s Anatomy. It’s not the latest release from Taylor Swift and its not the latest nomination in the provincial leadership race. What’s important is spending time with the people you love and care about, about making an effort to give love and caring to others, about learning new things and having new life experiences and for me its also about trying live my faith daily. These are all easier to accomplish without constant media distractions. Intent and purpose people! Intent and purpose.
