The Good Old Days
Some moments are worth savoring. As I write this, I am outdoors
with the sun gently warming my skin. A gentle breeze is
caressing my face. The air is fragrant with the blossoms on my
peach and plum trees. My sons are giving Thomas the Tank Engine
a ride down the slide. My daughter and her friend are playing
"Ice Cream Shoppe". It is simply one of those perfect moments.
A couple of years ago we might have missed a moment like this.
Like many others, we would probably have been watching TV, even
though it was a gorgeous day outside.
WHERE HAVE THE "GOOD OLD DAYS" GONE?
It's funny how the critics lament the passing of the "good old
days". They wonder what happened to communities, neighborhoods,
civic virtue, or family values. Pundits rant at the right and
the left, blaming each or the other.
Yet, the biggest change over the last two generations has been
the advent of television. In two generations TV has grown to
suck up over four hours of peoples' time per day. No other
social change comes close to this shift. It eats up about half
of individuals' free time.
What did people do with those four hours a day before the
television came along? They spent time with the neighbors, with
their families, and with their communities. The "good old days"
were simply sucked into the television set. The fastest way to
get them back is to get rid of your TV.
TV ISOLATES US
TV does not unite us. It does not bring us together in any
meaningful way, although it is sometimes portrayed that way. The
physical act of watching TV isolates us from one another. We
don't chat over dinner. We are plugged into the TV set. We don't
visit the neighbors. We watch "Friends". We don't play ball with
our children. We watch the "Playoffs".
We can not enjoy the warmth of the sun, if we are indoors
watching TV. We cannot savor the beauty of nature if we are
parked on a safa watching TV. "Nature" and "National Geographic"
can not compare with the real thing. Most importantly, we can
not enjoy one another's company if our attention is locked on
the TV screen. TV always demands our full attention.
COMMUNITES OF TV's
There can be a room full of people, but if a TV is playing,
everyone will be plugged into the set, mesmerized by the
flickering lights. Watch it. Watch a party be ground to a halt
by a TV.
That is what is happening on a larger scale with our
communities. There are communities full of people, all ignoring
each other as they are plugged into their TV. Drive around
almost any community at night. Are people gathered in groups
gossiping and having fun with one another? More likely, you will
pass by a plethora of isolated houses with eerie lights
flickering through the windows. From a distance those lights are
downright creepy.
PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED AND RELATIONSHIPS BUILT
Get a taste of the "good old days" by turning off the TV. It is
not that problems vanish when you turn OFF the TV. Problems do
not vanish any more than they do when the TV is ON. My idyllic
scene was disrupted shortly after I descibed it by the kids'
bickering. However, they resolved their differences and started
playing in the sandbox.
That is the key. They were still interacting and could resolve
their problems. Turning off the TV frees them to solve their
problems and to grow in their relationships.
I have studied history extensively. I know full well that the
past is full of pain and suffering as well as joy. People have
also made great strides in many social issues over the past
several decades. Yet, we lost something critical to our
existance when we plugged in the TV and left it on for over four
hours a day. We lost the time that used to go to building
relationships, to loving, to living, and to connecting with each
other.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Go back to the "good old days" by turning off your TV. Turn it
off and play outdoors with your family. Go for a walk. Invite
the neighbors over for a barbeque. Host a family game night.
Read with your children. All these activities are relaxing and
build essential relationships. They are also things people used
to do in the "good old days". Going back is as simple as pushing
a button--the OFF button.