160 CHANNELS

160 CHANNELS

                   I really don’t remember when, since I was born in 1954, but sometime in the early ‘60s our family got a brand new 13 inch black and white television. It was simply awesome. I am not so sure that our Father was equally excited since he was solely in charge of climbing onto the roof to install the massive antenna. Not only did he have to install it but he also had to adjust it. You see, it had to be turned a particle way so that we could receive all three channels. One channel was really pretty clear. The other two were “snowy,” one more than the other. But it was truly an exciting day. Well, for us it was but our grandmother would visit and later would live with us briefly and her most memorable phrase was, “Would you turn off that boob-tube” or something very similar to that. Her perception was truly prophetic.

                   My wife and I were married only about 9-10 years when I had an epiphany. By this time we had two children and we were still living in Smithburg, WV. I was coming home from work daily, having dinner and then just sitting down to watch one or two shows before bed. I had perceived that something was beginning to irritate my wife but did not really pick up the hint. Although, all on my own, I did notice I had no time to spend with my wife and children. Where had my time gone? Well, my epiphany was simple. Like a flash the accumulated time hit me. One show is often 90-120 minutes and added to the second show…well. You see, if I get home and have dinner it is 6:00 - 6:30 before I am done. Then add 3 hours of television and it is 9:30. The children are in bed and so is my wife. We had basic cable and because of a fluke we never had to pay for it. So, I saw no reason to get rid of it, until that moment. The cost was not monetary. The cost was my family. In our new home, and to this very day, we have never connected cable, satellite or even an exterior antenna. 

                   The choice to never connect a signal to our home was made because of my addiction to television. But the true value was seen in our family. After disconnecting the signal our children would spend most of the daylight hours outside or in other creative pursuits. As the sun would set they would come inside and we would spend much of our time in family oriented activities or in hobbies and reading. My mind simply reels when I hear companies offer up to 189 channels on average. Why? We received 3 and even then my grandmother could see the problem. When I finally saw what it was doing to my family my wife and I agreed it had to go.

                   Please do not even try to say it does not affect your family. Spouses are separated from each other not only by employment but by home entertainment. We each have a favorite show or sport we simply must watch. Some couples go so far as to watch their own program in separate rooms. And when a parent spends a few minutes with a child but 2-3 hours with a television the child understands completely. And in most families today it works both ways. The children grow up sitting in front of the television ignoring parents for hours on end. And combine that with computer and cell phone time and it leaves no time at all. There is no time left for interpersonal relationships or educational endeavors.

                   Of equal concern is the educational deprivation. I was speaking with a friend the other day about his reaction to re-reading The Federalist Papers. What struck him during this second reading was the astounding level of education of the writers. Our founding fathers were amazingly intellectual. At the time this country was founded much of the education was done in home and often through personal pursuit. They wanted to learn and they took the time to read. Unfortunately today, the television and the computer are restricting education even though they could provide a wealth of educational opportunities. But they simply do not do so because gaming and social media dominate in most homes.  Adults will use game systems for hours.

                   We become very proud of the number of channels we receive. What about the number of books we have read? What about the skills we have learned or the outreaches we are involved in? We don’t have time for any of those because we have 150 more channels to watch.

                   And as a Christian, is this a wise use of the time God has given to each of us? We don’t have time for personal reading of the Bible or any literature. We don’t have time to pray. And we don’t have time to engage in church activities or to teach our children about the things of God because we feel a need to watch one more race, one more football game or the latest episode of our favorite show. 169 channels have taken over our lives and we have passively allowed it to happen. Stop! Turn it off! Disconnect all channels and reclaim your life and your family.

                   And please, do it now before we give account of our lives to God.