With the colder temperatures, it so easy to want to stay cozy, bundled under a blanket. Sometimes, we don't want to go out, put on the layers of clothes - sweater, hat, jacket, scarf, extra socks and boots - then scrape the windshield to drive in our cold cars. It's so much easier to stay home in this weather.
I noticed I've been using tv as a form of entertainment. I'd disconnected netflix for a couple of years, and don't have cable, so after receiving a subscription as a Christmas gift, I've been enjoying watching the movies and finding fun shows. After binge watching an entire 6 series, with multiple episodes that took every evening for over a month, I realized how much time I was just sitting, and wasting. I started asking myself the purpose of the movie, what it was designed to show me or teach me.
When I read a book, I usually have difficulty putting it down, as I get lost in the plot and character development. The most recent novel began great, but was about 300 pages too long, as the plot seemed to circle, and I'd guessed the ending about 1/2 way through. I should have put it down days before I'd completed it.
But, netflix can become the same way - with many people binge watching one series of episodes after another. The screen asks the question - are you still watching? And I wonder - why am I? Don't get me wrong, I love a good movie, and enjoy curling up with my pup to watch my shows. Everyone needs some form of entertainment and an opportunity for a good laugh. But is our decision to stay home and watch a show becoming more important that other activities? Has it become an addiction?
Some of the entertainment we're being subjected to will distract us. It distracts us from the nightly negative news. It distracts us from what is happening in the world, when there seems to be too many disasters, and pain everywhere. It distracts us from the stress at work. It distracts us from a loved-one who is suffering from an illness. But we need to be careful. I need to be careful. It may seem like an interesting movie, and then it suddenly turn into porn. Or filthy language. Or teaches us to judge others. What are we opening ourselves up to? If we watch the same tv show season after season, and yet the shows are becoming more degrading to our sense of intelligence and morals, its time to ask why? Why are we still watching? Do these shows align with our personal values?
Do they challenge us to be a better person? We are often careful what our children are watching, but are we careful what we watch as adults?
Is the news becoming too negative and fearful? That's what keeps the ratings up; that's the narrative that will be released. Every situation will have different perspectives. We know that in an accident everyone in the car saw and heard something different. But when we're watching the news, are we getting fed the same perspective on all the channels? What's really happening? All this can cause additional stress.
When there nothing to watch on tv - do we need more choices? more channels? Is this just an opportunity for those who write the movies to determine what we should see or how we should think?
I've discovered many interesting channels on youtube. Individuals who are teaching specific crafts, decorating ideas and cooking shows. There are the travel shows, and many talk shows interviewing people sharing their stories that we'd never otherwise hear! We can watch real people instead of actors. Sometimes real life is very entertaining.
Do you remember when we had a favorite show that aired on Sunday evening at 6:00? We didn't even turn on the tv until it was time for that show. And at the end of the day the screen would say - "this concludes our broadcasting day". Now we seem to scroll on our screen as often as we scroll on our phones! With so many different options, we can't easily decide.
This is also an opportunity for us to do something else with our time. We can learn a new skill - paint, read a book, phone (not text) a friend you haven't seen for awhile, enjoy time with family or even learn another language. Or, this may be the perfect time for me to get that project done while I'm inside anyways. There is no limit to what we can create and learn!
We can often get into a routine that isn't necessarily good for us. Watching the screen every night, can become very unhealthy. The purpose of the evening routine is to help us relax at the end of the day; to unwind from deadlines at work, or school; to refocus and let the stress go. This is often a good time to go for an after-supper walk, get some fresh air, or enjoy a creative hobby. Sometimes we are so automatic we haven't realized that our evening routine has revolved around many hours of screen entertainment.
I'm not against tv. I love a good show. I'm just learning what kind of shows are good for me. And, what kind of shows aren't. I can't easily get sucked into a commitment of a long drama that transports me into another time, like Downton Abbey. I love that show! But, I know I need to be careful.
How about a challenge for all of us. Just as many have a dry January, or we count the steps we're walking, let's be intentional to keep track of how we spend our free time after supper. What can we do to create a healthy evening? This is time we can't get it back...
Maybe its time to "Just Pause"...
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