The baby sitter. So last week I found myself out of a job. I have been checking the usual employment websites trying to get myself back in to the swing of things. craigslist.org , the classifieds, etc... Everything was either less than desirable, or downright lousy. After a few hours of what felt like a complete wasted time. I decided to consciously waste time, and I turned the TV on.

It's the same old story; hundreds of channels, and nothing to watch. It is one of the most powerful mechanisms of conveying information to the masses, (inter-web aside) but it doesn't actually convey anything useful. Even the entertainment value of TV has gone down the crapper over the last few years, leaving TV with nothing to offer us but a waste of time. Television has turned in to a great way to wait out your life.

My life with the boob-tube started young like many other people I know. My parents picked one up to act as a sort of baby-sitter for me. It wasn't like they'd leave the house for any great period of time with nothing but the glow of the magic box to keep me occupied, but it was a welcomed diversion for me when they needed time away from the incessant nagging of a bored child.

I guess I'm trying to say I grew up with the notion that "TV was what you do when you have nothing else to do," and somehow that translated into "I'll do something productive when the TV has stopped entertaining me." Unfortunately I never realized that the idiot box had in fact ceased to be entertaining long ago. So I propose the following.

Next time you sit down in front of the old telly for an afternoon of mindless bliss, have a quick look outside, and see if there might be some gardening to be done. Grab a sketchbook and draw something that interests you instead of just watching it. For Christ sake, stop living vicariously through your TV, and start living!

Labels: Thought of the day

  ¶ 12:49 p.m.