Tv Watching..

[socal04]

Anyone out there feel like tv watching is distracting from self actualization? I know its not bad in itself just needs to be under control Big time. Thoughts?

[Extreme Z7]

Many things are distractions from self-actualization. Nothing particularly special about TV but giving it up completely would be a huge benefit to a lot of people, just as long as they don't replace it with something as equally time-wasting or worse.

[Joseph Maynor]

Absolutely.  TV is an addiction and time sink.  I quit watching TV 100% two years ago.  And I'm glad I did.  It also helped my weight because I would zone-out and eat a lot while watching, especially snacks and ice cream.  Make sure if you do quit TV that you don't just increase your addiction to internet or smart phone though.  That's like replacing one addiction with another.

Edited June 19, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Prabhaker]

@socal04

Watch what you allow into your mind. People are unaware; they go on reading everything and anything, watching any silly thing on the TV, passing on any stupid gossip and pouring rubbish into each other´s heads.

Avoid such situations in which you are unnecessarily burdened with rubbish. You already have too much. You need to be unburdened!

Talk and listen only to the essential and slowly slowly you will see that a cleanliness, a feeling of purity, as if you have just taken a bath, will start arising within you. That becomes the necessary soil for meditation to arise. 

OSHO: Live Life... Don't Just Watch It on TV

 

 

[Visitor]

I spend some time on the computer, especially on this forum. Otherwise I do not watch TV, and have not done so in over then years. I also hardly listen to music. I prefer silence, or nature sounds, more than anything else. I get the hear the news by what others talk about, and it's just the same old stuff but with a different story line.

[hedge]

One idea I'm trying out is to balance out the mindlessness with, as Leo has put it, "slow, deliberate and mindful action". Apply that to your own situation. What I've been doing is experimental writing or note taking. Part of it is journaling but some of it is to note interesting or funny thoughts that the TV inspired. The note taking is connected to some overall journaling I've been doing for a while. One improvement I'd like is to review better and focus on internalizing what I want to. 

Also I'm lumping TV with any form of media consumption like books and the web. The main idea is I need time to digest.

Edited June 19, 2017 by hedge
clarifying

[alea]

What do you do in the evenings instead of watching TV? How do you relax? 

[Epiphany_Inspired]

@socal04 @alea i'd imagine that you could relax doing a hobby or life purpose activity you love instead....it depends what your root cause/ trigger is for watching TV with how difficult it will be to overcome...if you are simply addicted to being entertained, you can find healthier substitutes...if on the other hand, this is your form of "self-medicating", as it is for me, the struggle may be more of a challenge....

TV is my heroin...I quit for over a year when I began personal development...then the shit hit the fan again, and I guess I lacked the coping skills to handle the extreme overwhelm at times without this distraction....I've been on a roller coaster of TV relapse ever since... tied directly to stress episodes....I may have to cancel internet at this point due to my pathetic weakness (which would suck because I learn and grow here too)....I never quit TV entirely, I just quit fiction tv, I still watched Leo, TEDx etc....hope you find awesome new things in your life beyond these fake worlds...ultimate wishes!

[S33K3R]

@alea Instead of TV I do a lot of research. I use TV to wind down and zone out. I never really follow the show I put on, its more background noise. My attention span isn't set up for TV and movies lol My addiction is around research and hobbies. 

Whenever I do get into watching TV for a bit of time I start to feel very disturbed within and I get really annoyed with my consciousness and the way it feels. Its hard to explain

[alea]

@Epiphany_Inspired I think our relapses occur when we use too much willpower. Our body react and look for a way to relax. We need balance.

I think my problem is not only tiredness, I am also feeling bored. My body is looking for some amusement after a while. 

Edited June 22, 2017 by alea

[yogitiger337]

Since mostly quitting TV, I find that on the rare occasions that I'm in a situation where TV is present, it seems strange. Shows that my friends rave about are boring to me. I don't crave turning on the telly when I sit down on the couch, and the amount of free time I have has increased quite a bit. As @Joseph Maynor said, TV is a great way to gain weight, as I can recall many nights pigging out in front of a screen. Seems like television and junk food just go together. 

I definitely think it would be to your benefit to either cut TV out of your life completely, or significantly reduce the amount of time you spend in front of a screen. Perhaps only watch educational shows, or have a specific time slot during the week dedicated to relaxing by watching TV. 

Good luck friend!

[Siim Land]

Watching the news stimulates the amygdala and can turn on the fight or flight response. What ensues is elevated stress and fear conditioning of the masses. 

Turning on the TV in the morning is also one of the best ways of becoming reactive for the rest of the day. You enter a feedback loop of getting distracted and sidetracked. 

The majority of time, there's nothing useful on TV. Even more, you can only control what you watch to a certain degree. Everything is fed to you. With the Internet you can at least choose what type of content you're consuming and can make it self-actualizing.

[Angelique]

Just get rid of your television It is not that hard. 

[socal04]

10 hours ago, Angelique said:

Just get rid of your television It is not that hard. 

i do like sports  though

[Michael569]

Subscribe to a newspaper instead then. Reading stimulates your prefrontal cortex much more than simply consuming stuff in TV. There is still a lot of shit in the paper but you can skip that. If sport interests you, you can read all about it in most popular newspaper. 

Not to mention finishing it with a quiz, crossroad puzzle or sudoku is a nice way to have your brain do some hard work. 

[Morten]

5 hours ago, socal04 said:

i do like sports  though

I hear ya. Only thing I watch on TV are sports.

You can try to cut down on sports, by watching shortened replays on computer. For example during the NBA playoffs there was a shortened replay of every game in the length of 10 minutes. Usually games last around 2 hours and 40 minutes so with this trick you saved 2 and half hours.

Also regarding sports, just think about how much money is on the line now. Football players being valued at 150 million euros. Basketball players signing 200+ million dollar contracts. Professional sports have lost so much of their beauty and spontanity there was before, now they are gladiators/machines, doing drills. Athletic skills are only thing being valued now, for example we have to take him he runs 30 m in less than 4 sec or he has 40 inch vertical leap.

Bottom line, sports has become. or it was always like that only I just now see it. rich mans game mad for profit and shallow entertainment for the masses. Try to watch some games mindfully and you will see how deeply unfulfilling it is.

[ajasatya]

@socal04 always ask yourself i) the purpose behind the tv programs and ii) whether they actually improve any field of your life.

these are my conclusions:

i) tv programs are chosen in order to keep society on a massive dream state
ii) after watching tv, my gain is always absolutely zero.

do the job yourself.

[pluto]

Haven't properly watched TV in over 5 years, my life has changed in so many ways and my mind/subconscious is so much clearer.

I don't react and judge nowhere near as much, if anything news was the worst thing for the mind.

I do watch the occasional movie or nature documentary or health, cooking or singing contests but its only when i walk past and see it on but i cannot sit longer than 10 minutes due to adds so soon as i see a commercial it just turns me off and i walk away because i understand the programming behind it and it gets extremely annoying.

One day i was watching the voice and they played the same commercial 3 times within the break, i can see how they brainwash people now with repetitive technology that eventually sinks into the subconscious then triggers within the person in day to day life and they react without awareness.

Same thing with news, its like 99% negative and maybe 1 positive thing at the end no wonder why everyone is so negative and living in great fear all the time. I don't even know what's going on and people ask me about that stuff and i have no idea what they are talking about nor do i wanna hear it.

The more intelligent and self actualized you become the less these things interest you.

Edited June 23, 2017 by pluto

[Epiphany_Inspired]

@socal04 I know this thread is super old...and by resurrecting it I've become one of those necromancy-zombie-thread-trolls or something, sorry

I just wanted to thank you. I had some fiction escapism backsliding and calling myself out on it here seemed to work. No crappy media since June 21...this less than 3 months doesn't trump the year and a half I had under my belt before...but I will get there again...anyway, the reason I'm grave-digging posts, is because a book fell down to me today...it has some over a decade old dark poems...it was a powerful experience because it allowed me to instantly  see a number of cycles/ patterns...I wish them all a stunning, pyrotechnic death...lol...anyway, I thought I'd share this silly old poem about TV watching...in case it might help you too @@socal04

(Titled) "Blah" (for some reason...lol):

Oh mighty idiot box of pleasure, please suck my thoughts away!

A vegetable gaze, a dribble jaw, I request of you today.

You have the power, so take from me, these things I cannot deal....

My mind is yours, it's left unlocked, just for you to steal!

Just don't give it back, you keep it, it's all yours forever!

I have no need for intelligence, no wish to be thought clever.

So hear my plea, quite loud and clear....

Take my pain away from here....

For a panic is growing near....

and I must not succumb to fear!