A Nice Drug

Written by David Thompson

Asked on a radio commercial, “If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you rather have with you, your significant other or cable TV?” You know the right answer – you even get a gold star and certificate for perfect Sunday School attendance if you said, “Jesus, because He’s my significant other :)”

I know, it really is a silly question, I mean of course I would choose the one I love, the one I spend the most time with, the one I talk about, the one I look forward to, the one I make time for, the one who adds a little spice to everyday life. And that would be?

Think about it practically. There you are on the desert island. You can talk to your significant other (despite media portrayals, you can’t have sex all the time) or build sandcastles or go swimming … but what would you do after you caught up on the news of the day? “It was a tough day, honey. I walked to the other side of the island and saw a bunch of water. How was your day?” Would you really have something to talk about after a week of no e-mail, no news, and no phone calls to friends?

But with TV you would keep up with the latest news and sports and your favorite programs. You could practice surviving while watching Survivor, just in case you ever got off the island and onto the show. You could watch every significant college basketball game in preparation for filling out your bracket. And then there is March Madness itself. Every game! All those shows you’ve heard about but never really had time to watch, you could now watch every day and every week.

On those lonely nights you could watch TV until you fell asleep. On those long days you could pick up a soap opera or two. I would think one of the greatest challenges of being stranded on a desert island would be the slow passing of time. But think how quickly time passes when you watch TV – a couple of hours go by before you even notice you sat down.

You would be free from the monotony of sun and waves and sand – the world would be at your fingertips with one click of the remote. Or a lot of clicks if it was Saturday night – you know how three bad shows watched at the same time is roughly equal to one good show.

When’s the last time a conversation with your significant other gave you the same thrill as watching the end of the ballgame? When’s the last time you were watching you’re favorite show and you found yourself hoping it would end soon? When’s the last time you didn’t answer the phone because you were talking to your significant other? Do you answer the phone during your favorite show? (OK, so some women I know call each other to discuss the show they’re watching during commercials, but only because they’ve not learned to appreciate the benefits of tracking with two other shows at the same time. But I digress.)

Then why do I have the urge to go home and engage my wife in significant conversation and to shoot my TV? I’m beginning to wonder if TV is less entertainment and more drug – the kind of drug that allows me to check out for a time – no worries, no commitments, no misunderstandings, just a little feel good, a little folding of the hands, a little rest. No one gets hurt and at the end of the night I can turn it off with no hangover.

I enjoy TV, but is the price worth it? As one who tends toward checking out anyway, is this something I should be playing with? I can hear Wormwood counseling Screwtape, “Don’t lead him to the most sensual or violent shows, that might alert him to danger. Just make sure he catches any show that has the potential to hold his attention for awhile. That is enough to accomplish our purposes.”

I long for a relationship with my significant other that goes beyond being TV watching buddies. I’m sure I won’t get there with the TV on.

Comments

[Scott]

God has created within us an innate need for pleasures that capture the imagination. How then do we distinguish between legitimate pleasures that refresh us and distractions that can diminish us?(for example, TV) I like the way Ravi Zacharias and Susannah Wesley state it.

"Any pleasure that refreshes you without diminishing you, distracting you, or sidetracking you from the ultimate goal is a legitimate pleasure." Ravi Zacharias

If we can provide this standard to how we spend our free time, then we can align our values toward pleasure with the heart of God. This could be why we find such freedom in the pleasure of engaging others in meaningful relationships because this brings joy to the heart of God.

How do we know what is a sinful distraction?

"Whatever weakens your reasoning, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God or takes away your relish for spiritual things; in short, if anything increases the authority and power of the flesh over the spirit, that to you becomes sin, however good it is in itself." Susannah Wesley

Thank you, DT, for the great post!