thoughts on the media: tv watching

February 20, 2005

last week, as i was read through "kingdom come", there was a chapter that discussed the impact of the media on our society. at the end of it, i was almost relieved by the fact that i am so busy i do not have time for the media. design keeps me locked up in my little cave, and only once in a while do i poke my head out and take a gander at what's around. there just isn't any time for anything else. with school and church, my life is completely occupied. in fact, the only time i watch tv, is wednesdays night for alias at 9. movies are a rarity as of late. i don't listen to the radio either. one, i don't like the new music that's out nowadays, and two, i've got so many CDs that i can sing or jam along with, that i'd rather play those instead. i used to read the paper every morning to check out what's going on in toronto, but i've been reading a lot of great books instead. i'm not saying i'm completely media-free, but i'm so thankful that i don't have the time to waste on it and be affected by its message. it's easy to forget the powerful influence that the media has on us, in terms of our available time and more importantly, on our values.

so what is the media anyways? here's my operational definition. the media is a vehicle of mass communication: radio, television, newspapers, magazines, books, the Internet, you name it. it's all around us. the media is a powerful way to communicate an idea (whether implicit or explicit) to a large mass of people. for this entry, i am going to focus my thoughts on tv.

tv has consumed our daily discussions. how often do you hear people talking about that great episode of _________ (fill in the blank with your favourite tv show) that played the other day? or about the great new show they discovered recently? or the show playing tonight? or for sports fans, which game is on?

tv has also subconsciously shaped our values. one of the best ways for humans to learn is through repetition. you hear a message enough, you'll start to believe it, internalize it, and eventually act on it. and so every time you turn on your favourite show, you hear that same message repeated over, and over again. now i don't know about you, but when was the last time you watched a show with moral teachings, teachings from the Bible? i can't remember for the life of me, unless i'm watching BET on a sunday morning, or CTS (though not all the time). though there was touched by an angel... but that's besides the point. so if these shows aren't from teachings from the Bible, where do you think the messages are derived from? us. man. we've messed up a lot of values royally, and it's seen in a lot of these shows. mind you, i do believe there are some shows that are good quality, but the majority of them aren't mainstream or the most watched. but it's not only the tv shows either. there's commercials too. commercials are trying to sell you a product, message, or both. for the most part, they teach materialism.

there's two issues here: tv affects our values and occupies our time. as a Christian, i find myself troubled and disturbed at this. i do realize some people need a venue to relax after a hard day at work/school and tv's a great way to unwind (for the most part, we can just check our brain at the door when we sit down in front of the tv). but, at the same time, isn't there a better way of doing it? something more... meaningful? there's so many things we could do: having conversations with friends, cuddling up and reading a good book, going for a walk and admiring God's beautiful creation, exercising (trust me, it's relaxing, especially swimming)... i could think of a lot more and i'm sure you could too. that being said, the television is a great invention (don't get me wrong here). but we've turned this box into our idol, our god. some of us are so absorbed by our shows, we do anything we can to watch it. we'll even adjust our plans so that we'll be home for the evening. and if for some terrible reason we can't, we record or download it so we don't miss any of the action. do you see what's happened? we've become consumed by the things of the world. we'd much rather spend time watching _________ then invest that time in knowing our Saviour better.

if we are a people who truly desire to follow Christ, there is something really wrong with this picture. do you think for one moment that God created you to stare at a box for eight hours a day? five hours? three hours? one hour? for some of us, after wasting all our time in front of this box, we have the nerve to say we're far too busy for God. yes. too busy indeed.

let's make a pact. let's intentionally give up the things that we do in this life that are focused on our own satisfaction and gratification and exchange it for knowing and loving God in deeper ways. and maybe it's not tv for you. maybe it's video games or some other thing that's taken the place of God in your life. surrender it, lay it down at the Cross and choose Him instead.

i wonder. what would happen if all of us began to take our faith seriously. if we only went after the things that mattered? if we got onboard with the things God was doing around us, and start moving in that direction? what if, we took all the time we spent in watching tv/video games/etc., and started praying, started asking God to move in ways that we would never imagine? what if we took that time to examine how we could be more effective in our campuses, homes and workplaces? what if we used the time to dream of ways in which we could begin building and investing in the lives of others? what if we used the time to care for the poor and needy, the oppressed, the outcasts of society?

final words
i am not saying there's anything wrong with watching tv. but at the same time, i wonder if that is the best way to spend our time? i would suggest no. God's granted us a finite number of days on this earth. He's given us the chance to be on this planet to bring honour and glory to His name. He created us for a purpose. He's allowed us to grow up in our wealthy, north american society, for a reason. how will you spend your days? for yourself or for Him? in front of the tv or building His Kingdom?

“everything is permissible”–but not everything is beneficial. “everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive. - 1 corinthians 10:23 [NIV]

"let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" - hebrews 12:1 [NIV]

Posted by Leo Chan at February 20, 2005 10:21 PM