Kyle and I would like to announce the very exciting news that we are no longer the owners of a television. We actually haven't had access to TV channels since we got married (we just watched DVDs); however, this last Sunday we took the leap and removed the television set from our home. Jake and Jeff have been kind enough to "store" the TV and entertainment center for us until we can sell them. It's not that we view television as intrinsically evil or anything, we've just realized that it's a worldly distraction that we'd rather not battle against in our home (especially with the arrival of Evie). We desire to have a family that enjoys doing things together (reading, playing games, outdoor activities, singing, praying, etc) instead of spending our time in front of the TV.
I personally have LOVED this first week of not having a TV. It's bothered me for awhile that most Americans' living rooms are centered around the television. I want our home to be a sanctuary, a place of refuge, for our family and for guests. It already feels so much more peaceful without that extra noise and distraction. It's amazing how desensitized you can become to things without even realizing it. When I was staying in Austin a few weeks ago I watched a little TV, and I was appalled at some of the content/commercials. After not being exposed to much of that over the last year and a half, it was like I was viewing it with new eyes.
Again, we aren't suggesting that everyone goes and get rid of their televisions. This is just something that Kyle and I have been thinking about a lot lately and so we figured that we'd share some of our thoughts with all of you :) We would love to hear what you think!
~ Rachel
Not distant past
9 months ago
8 comments:
ALSO not a tv watcher. i have owner a tv since i graduated from high school and it has literally sat in a storage unit ever since. i don't know how to run the tv at my mother's or nate's house and have to have other people turn it on and change the chanels. :) the tv in our own apartment i only know how to change the channels on and it is almost always on the news of some country music cahnel as background noise. i have always been a firm believer in reading and radio. your days are more productive without a tv. people always complain about how little time they have but if they shut off the tv they WOULD have too much time. :) i blame the tv for a lot of the US's obesity issues too...particularly in children...my parent's, as strange as they are, also thought that we should not have cable so we really only had the news and public tv which is probably why that's all i can tolerate as an adult.
GOOD MOVE!!!
My husband and I stopped watching TV for a week, just as an experiment to see if we could. That was in September 2005! It has been on once since then, when the Bears were in the Super Bowl. There is nothing on TV that is essential. News can be gotten via the Internet. Good move! You will find that you have a lot more time, and will probably soon start to wonder how you had time to watch TV!
So Rachel...
I think I have a great proposition for you and Kyle: Join the Mennonite Faith! While I admit that I can be a little tongue in cheek, I also think that their rigorous church life paired with limited worldly ventures might be the kind of environment you want to raise your children in.
2nd Thought-- I was raised without a television. Its not an end all cure all for moral purity.
Thanks for the proposition but we will have to pass. The Mennonite faith confesses things we just aren't comfortable with. But as I trust you were being sarcastic I won't spend time developing this line of thought.
Secondly, no one was really advocating the idea that restricting television is an "end all cure" for moral purity...that's just a silly notion. Christ is the only "end all cure" for moral purity. But we think restricting television in the home will bring a great amount of profit to our family and our individual children. I mean really, haven't you seen the recent studies correlating television watching with stoopidity? They go hand in hand ;-)
You two have inspired me, no question. So this afternoon, I took Matt's TV and hurled it through the window, then repeatedly rammed it with his car until shards of glass, plastic, and circuit boards were scattered whimsically across our lawn. Finally, I siphoned the gas from Matt's car and sprayed it across the wreckage, then set it ablaze with a cigarette lighter I found in a nearby ditch.
Dave,
You are an insult to the decency of...of...well you get what I mean. But I can't expect much else, after all, you are a baptist.
Your mom's a Baptist.
Props to you both. We haven't had a TV since we said "I do" and don't miss it at all.
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