television

Just a couple days ago, I was talking to a woman from the company we get telephone and internet service. She reminded me that I now qualify for cable or dish service - whatever it is they offer (I can never keep those two differences straight). I said I would pass on that. She asked who is providing that service currently. I told her our TV has been in its box in the basement for several months. After a moment of hesitation, she told me that if I decided I wanted it, it would cost me only an extra $15.

I've thought many times about why we don't have 110 or 300 stations beaming into our living room.(and I guess we'd save $15 now that I know how much it would cost.)

1. I most surely would fall asleep watching by 7 p.m. just like nursing home residents do.
2. The big picture window to the west and the computer desk to the east allow no room for the TV in this house. How awkward would it be to watch TV against the setting sun. We'd all go blind, except for me because I would be sleeping.
3. I have no brain cells to spare as it is. If I waste my time listening to stuff for pure amusement (a - without and muse - to think) and finding myself filling my mind with off-colored innuendo (which even the best of shows can't part with), what's left is a whole lot of nothing. There'd be no place to go but the couch in really stretchy pants with boxes of bon-bons every afternoon to catch up on the soaps.
4. I hate getting interrupted by commercials.
5. The jangle of a TV prattling on and on is annoying to me. Silence, occasionally, in my line of work, is golden.

While I'm a prude about other things, I don't avoid TV in our house purely for that reason. Cooking shows are very inspiring. In fact, there probably would be all observing and no actual cooking in our house if we did have those channels. I could also blow any number of hours listening to a certain news station. And there are probably plenty of righteous upright followers of Jesus who can watch lots of programming on any number of topics and still be righteous and upright followers of Jesus. I'm not that talented.

And then tonight I read this by John Piper. And I didn't feel quite as odd about my television habits.