I Can't Watch TV

Since high school I have not been willing or able to watch TV.

There are three big reasons why.

Time.

My time is too important to me. Every minute I spend in front of the screen I feel I have to justify. What did I gain? Was it worth more than an hour, or a half-hour, of my time? Nearly 100 percent of the time, the equation leans toward no.

Escapism.

Second, I view TV as an escape from life. The only reason I personally watch TV is when my own existence is not interesting enough. This happens from time to time; I'll feel uninspired, and I'll go to one of my favorite movies. I choose these movies very carefully so that every single one is likely to leave me feeling refreshed, inspired, and re-awakened. That way, I can stay away from TV for another few months.

Passivity.

Third, I dislike the helplessness and passivity of watching. Every second I spend staring at the screen, I'm absorbing one more second of a world that someone else created. I'm drinking in someone else's values, someone else's product, someone else's imagination. My own thoughts shrink to the background to make way for commercials, capitalist agendas, and talking ponies.

Absorption is for sponges, not human beings.

In a Davidist life, it is important to take a close look at everything you let in.

In the face of every decision, a Davidist has to ask: is this a part of my best life?

Is watching this show going to make me a better person? (Maybe by phasing out my worries, helping me to relax, inspiring me to create something, making me laugh...)

Is this friend helping me to find my best self?

If I ate this food every day for a year, would it help me or hurt me?

Of course, there are many unknowns: people you don't know well, things you've never tried before, places you've never been. For that reason, Davidism takes a lot of experimentation...trial and error. But through that experimentation, you gain a better understanding of what helps you and what hurts you, and you can move closer and closer to living the best day of your life, every day, with the resources you have.

Learn more about Davidism.