The question posed was "What are you watching on TV?", and my answer is, why would I be watching TV? Sure there maybe 2 feet of snow on the ground, but that shouldn't stop you from going outside and having fun. I know it sounds like an age-old lecture that we received from our parents and grand-parents, but the reality is how many of us take the advice seriously? How many of us choose to do something else other than watch TV in our free time? I would like to think that many people turn off the TV and go outside, or simply read a book, but the ill feeling is that this is not true.

I do not own a TV and it is by choice that I do not. I find that when a TV is around, most people get sucked into it's mind numbing, continuous droning about things that really aren't that important; telling us what we should strive for in life. I find that a majority of TV programs are the same monitions story lines, with a skewed sense of reality, in various settings. Sure these programs can be entertaining, but they also, direct and indirectly, influence the community that they are marketed towards. Rather it be reality TV or not, TV programs produce a "mock reality"; a reality in which infinite possibilities exsist and the efforts to achieve these possibilities does not adequately parellel real life.

The best quote that I have heard that literality "hit the nail on the head" in regards to TV and it's "colorful noise" was by musician Marylin Manson--"The burden of originality is one that most people don't want to accept. They'd rather sit in front of the TV and let that tell them what they're supposed to like, what they're supposed to buy, and what they're supposed to laugh at. You have Beavis and Butt - Head telling you what music you're allowed to like and not like, and you've got sitcoms that have canned laughter that lets you know when to laugh if you're too stupid to know when the joke is - people are too lazy and too stupid to think for themselves because America has raised them like that." The sad reality is that this IS what most of Americans are like. Sure Americans have brains and can think independently, but do they? How many people choose self-education over TV time? Not many. Furthermore, and more importantly in my opinion, how many people choose quality time with family and friends without a TV being included?

I mean seriously think about it. You invite friends over to your place and what happens? The TV is the central focal point of your evening with friends. Moreover, how many words have you actually exchanged with your friends? Probably no more than the "Hey, how ya doin'?" and "Can you get me a drink while you're up?". You spent time with your friends during the evening, but you did not spend quality time. You, more or less, sat in a room with them. Yes, silence can be a good thing, but wouldn't you rather create meaningful memories that can last you until you're old?

So instead of watching the TV (not that it isn't useful for news programs, and such), I challenge you to get up off your bum, turn off the TV (and the computer!), and go do something meaningful and rewarding. Go for a brisk walk, write a letter (yes, an actual snail-mail letter), have dinner or coffee with friends, and/or pick up a good book. Enjoy the silence of your noise box on the wall. Slow down, be observant, and take in your environment; it may pass you more quickly than you'll know and you may miss the chance to create a priceless memory.