Cory and Farah Unplugged

For some time now I have been frustrated with the undeniable lack of productivity in my life which uninhibitedly shows up in all aspects--work life, home life, relationships, communication between family and friends, personal health, personal growth, and the list goes on. Having said that, with so many things to do how is it that I have so much time to devote to television? Is TV that good? What does TV have to offer me anyway? Am I a better person for watching it so much? Does TV add to our lives as a couple? Are we using our time as best as we could be? These are some of many questions I have been pondering for months.

Between work and school and all of the other stuff that happens in the middle, Farah and I have conflicting schedules that give us very little quality time together, not to mention the fact that we are always tired. I am not complaining about the busyness of life, although a break every now and then would be nice, but I am more concerned with how we are using the time that we have away from our obligations at work and school. Just how do we improve ourselves, grow closer as a couple, and relax and enjoy life? One easy observation: TV is not the answer. So yes, it's time to turn off the noise, decrease the static, and realize that we are missing out on so much. Really, there is so much more to life than being a telehubby!

Two weeks later
As tempting as it was, shot-putting our TV set off the balcony was not an option, nor was canceling our crappy cable subscription, so we decided to unplug ourselves from TV for a week just to see what would happen. And what happened? Well, for starters, we enjoyed dinner without back-to-back episodes of Law & Order, we allowed Jack Bauer to save the planet on his own, and let Randy, Paula, Simon and the rest of America decide who to idolize. The Simpsons, Seinfeld, and our other television friends were fine without us, and most importantly, we were fine without them. Reality television versus reality, this week it was reality that won our attention. We talked more than we have in a long time, spending quality time together, and got a lot of work done this week and the last. We have to give ourselves credit as being creative people capable of finding something more worthwhile than a picture box that plugs into the wall. Farah would probably say that I have helped cook, clean, and tend to her needs more than I have in a long time, which is really best said as: the both of us are much less distracted/ more focused in general.

It's easy to fall in a rut and it's easy to form bad habits. We see some areas for improvement in how we use our time and so far not watching TV has been a great thing for us. As time goes by surely we will watch TV but only on a limited and monitored basis. No more channel surfing or sitting in front of the TV to relax, because the reality of the situation tells us that TV is not synonymous with relaxation. Entertaining it is but conducive to growth it is not.

I leave you with a few television quotes:

"Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other." ~Ann Landers

"I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book." ~Groucho Marx

"Television: chewing gum for the eyes." ~Frank Lloyd Wright

"Television has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object." ~Author Unknown

"Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your home." ~David Frost

"Ninety-eight percent of American homes have TV sets, which means the people in the other 2% have to generate their own sex and violence." ~Attributed to Gene Baylos

"If you read a lot of books, you're considered well-read. But if you watch a lot of TV, you're not considered well-viewed." ~Lily Tomlin

"Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover." ~Homer Simpson, The Simpsons