21: What do you think abut television?
My first answer to most questions like this is, “it’s a tool”. Tools inherit the intentions of the user, for the most part. The television is different from many tools though, because it communicates heavily with the viewers’ conscious and subconscious mind. Therefore, it doesn’t always follow the intent of its user. Take for example, cartoons. A parents’ intent may be to entertain their child by setting them in front of the television to watch, but in actuality the cartoon may be harming their child with negative images.
The most positive side to television is of course education. If you have cable in the United States, there is pretty much always something on that you could learn from. The negative side to that is that your brain doesn’t automatically know what it should learn and what it should ignore. If you happen to be watching a documentary for instance, you could probably just let your mind absorb everything. If your watching a drama, these days there is probably very little that you should just let your mind absorb!
I have a problem with watching shows where the protagonist is dishonest. At the same time, I appreciate the writing of dynamic, real characters, and in real life, many people lie. That’s why I feel like watching should be done in moderation. Even though it is realistic to have flawed characters, I question what it does to the subconscious when we ‘accept’ these characters. If we accept them without check, don’t we set up our mind to accept the character’s actions (subconsciously)? When you watch a sad movie and feel emotional, it means that what you are viewing is being interpreted by your mind as real. If you didn’t think of the character as real at the time, you wouldn’t care about them. If you spend too much time watching these types of shows you can suffer from moral desensitization. You will set up thought patterns for dealing with people based on the fictional characters in your life.
In addition, the television is a tool for intentionally spreading propaganda. If the propaganda is good or bad is dependent on the person controlling the content of the broadcast. Do you trust or even know this person or their intent? Probably not, so it’s best to be consciously weary of anything you view. Really, we should all be ever weary of what goes into our mind.
One program that I enjoy is the Japanese anime Naruto / Naruto Shippuuden. There are many complex characters with a mixture of positive and negative qualities but the main character is ‘bubble gum’ positive. He only fights to protect his friends, he is always honest, keeps his word and he never gives up on what he has his heart set on. Almost every episode reinforces these things and it makes me feel good overall. There is nothing wrong with a little escape, in moderation.
The most positive side to television is of course education. If you have cable in the United States, there is pretty much always something on that you could learn from. The negative side to that is that your brain doesn’t automatically know what it should learn and what it should ignore. If you happen to be watching a documentary for instance, you could probably just let your mind absorb everything. If your watching a drama, these days there is probably very little that you should just let your mind absorb!
I have a problem with watching shows where the protagonist is dishonest. At the same time, I appreciate the writing of dynamic, real characters, and in real life, many people lie. That’s why I feel like watching should be done in moderation. Even though it is realistic to have flawed characters, I question what it does to the subconscious when we ‘accept’ these characters. If we accept them without check, don’t we set up our mind to accept the character’s actions (subconsciously)? When you watch a sad movie and feel emotional, it means that what you are viewing is being interpreted by your mind as real. If you didn’t think of the character as real at the time, you wouldn’t care about them. If you spend too much time watching these types of shows you can suffer from moral desensitization. You will set up thought patterns for dealing with people based on the fictional characters in your life.
In addition, the television is a tool for intentionally spreading propaganda. If the propaganda is good or bad is dependent on the person controlling the content of the broadcast. Do you trust or even know this person or their intent? Probably not, so it’s best to be consciously weary of anything you view. Really, we should all be ever weary of what goes into our mind.
One program that I enjoy is the Japanese anime Naruto / Naruto Shippuuden. There are many complex characters with a mixture of positive and negative qualities but the main character is ‘bubble gum’ positive. He only fights to protect his friends, he is always honest, keeps his word and he never gives up on what he has his heart set on. Almost every episode reinforces these things and it makes me feel good overall. There is nothing wrong with a little escape, in moderation.
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