Television Addiction

I have not paid much attention to the news recently. I felt completely burned out several months ago and since then I've not had a desire to ingest much of anything offered up by the media. This morning, out of boredom I suppose as much as a desire to 'stay informed', I googled the news headlines. I read through a few, read the various headlines, and within 15 minutes began to notice how distinctly different I felt about life. I became depressed, experienced a feeling of hopelessness. Anger, fear, sadness became the dominant emotions and states of mind. I was stunned at the drastic and rapid change. It is so that when we are immersed in something, we don't notice its effect. The longer we are away, the stronger the effect when we return. So, having not taken in any media for some period of time now, I felt the effects immediately and intensely. The experience sent me back to thinking about the process I went through to disconnect from television, and then all media, and the effect that change has had in my life.

I had help with overcoming my addiction. I spent several months in Cameroon, West Africa in 1989-1990. On returning, I of course plugged in the television and signed up for cable. Though my overall interest in television had waned, it seemed like the America way. I had never been one to just keep the television running 'for company' but I certainly had spent my share of time in from of the tube. I would guess 2-3 hours a day. My perspective had changed drastically in my months in Cameroon. As 1990 turned into 1991 and the US approached its first war on Iraq, I began watching with horror and rage as this massive military machine rolled over innocents. I saw those tanks and bombs destroying Iraq and I saw in my mind's eye those little dark, shining, hopeful faces of the children in Nkambe. I listened to the rhetoric and I knew it was all lies. The goal was oil, pure and simple. The people didn't matter. I was enraged. I would walk back and forth in front of the television when the news was on and shout at it. I was crazy. I knew something had to change. My rage was accomplishing nothing. So, I unplugged. I unplugged the television and put it in the back bedroom. I made a pact with myself that I could watch it any time I wanted, but I always had to return it to the bedroom when I was finished. I remember sitting on the couch early one evening, feeling very bored and restless and wanting to turn on the television. So I went for a bike ride. It must have been May. The memory of that ride stays with me so strongly: sunlight; green; birdsong; lovely. And I knew I'd made a choice, and I knew the choice was good. From that moment forward I began to make different, conscious choices. Sometimes I watched television, but I chose it first.

It was not an easy or quick process. Cable was disconnected. The television moved to the garage. When I was finally through the addiction and the television was invited back into the house as a permanent piece of furniture again (8-10 years), it became used just for movie viewing. Now it is complete choice when I sit in front of it.

My battle with the addiction didn't end with the television however. I found that a deep part of my addiction was an addiction to 'bad' or 'exciting' news. I could get that from the radio, newspapers, and the internet. The past 5-6 years have been focused on unlinking from all of that.