Why I decided to quit watching TV – and why I’ve never regretted it

by Darren

Recently I caught wind of a blog post where one author was extolling the virtues of another about quitting TV watching. It turns out he quit watching for a whole month and his friend was extremely impressed. Well then, I wondered, how impressed would the world be when they found out that I quit watching TV in March of 2005 and never even looked back. I’m pretty sure some people would be amazed, so I plan to chronicle my adventures.

The reason I quit watching TV

One day I was in my home and doing some work. “In the background” was Maury Povich, entertaining the masses with one of his inimitable shows. Apparently a ‘baby momma’ was having some problem identifying the paternal rights of her heir. Apparently 9 other men had been identified as potential fathers, and not one had proven to be. I realized what an unlikely situation this really was for the average person. As I realized this, Maury said simply: “I am 99.9% sure you are NOT the father“, and the latest contestant in the Paternity Olympics had just won his gold medal.

I realized that Maury Povich was a complete idiot and I was an even bigger one for letting this garbage penetrate my psyche for even one more day.

I turned off the TV. I decided if I ever, really, truly needed to watch TV again, I would. But so far that day hasn’t come and it’s been 18 months. I still rent DVDs, but my total time spent watching any type of video is now down to a very managable 10 hours a week, or usually less.

I’ve noticed a number of changes to how I think. I can tell you that I’ve felt more emotionally raw in the last 18 months. TV really is a type of low-level drug that dulls your sense of reality. When you remove it, things become that much more accute.

I plan on looking into some of these changes, and I also plan on offering some tips on you can break bad habits in upcoming posts. There’s nothing more empowering then quitting a habit that you know is no good for you.