Theos-Talk Archives (November 1995 Message tl00250)

> I myself watch TV - the news & C-span which brings such things
as our
> Congress' Committee Meetings talks by notables of interest
> Interesting press conferences & etc.
> We also have 01 station that brings concerts & ballet. I watch that
> sometimes. We also have a local station which I look in on that
> discusses matters of interest to our town. Late at night when I
> want to relax & have a laugh before I turn in I watch reruns of
> the old sitcoms. That to me is constructive TV watching. The rest
> of it belongs into the nearest garbage dump.
>
> Liesel

Lewis:

I recently watched a program with my daughter called "The
Sword in the Stone" which was an animated film about Merlin
schooling a young Arthur with the aid of magic...something the
fundamental christians in our community abhore to the point that some
refuse to allow their children to participate in Holloween
celebrations which "honor" the devil in their estimation.

I see TV as a leavening influence which keeps such narrow minded
colloquial views from being inculcated into the children of our
community without question.

Railing against TV and casting the medium as some sort of "evil"
seems to me similar to the above views on Holloween. We humanity are
developing the faculty of discrimination at this time. The simple act
of choosing what we watch can be an important part of a spiritual
discipline. The Mahatmas in their letters advocated we work things
out for ourselves thereby gaining much more than we would from
simply following directions they could give. The later giving only
the benefit of the good karma which flows from obedience.

As Liesle point out the chocie of programming is wide and
varied. If the intellectual and cultured classes of our society
abandon the medium others will rush into the void this creates and
fill it with much less desireable programming. It is our duty to
support the more postive aspects recognizing the great potential for
good which lies in mass media.

News of the Vietnam war piped into the living rooms of Americans
during the 60's played an important role in awakening us to its
horrors and bringing it to an end. Releif efforts for victims of
natural disasters are often greatly aided by tv's coverage of these
events. When the horrid conditions of orphans in Romania was
broadcast thousands responded and much good was done as a result of
tv bringing it to our attention.

Not watching tv to me seems ostrich like behavior. In another ts
classic we admonished not to wipe the tear from our eye until it had
been wiped from our brothers. Recently JRC asked we send our
thoughts of peace to the middle east after the assasination of Rabin.
Being aware of problems is the begining of their solution according
to modern psychology. Informing ourselves of atrocities and
remembering the victims as in the Holocaust is the LEAST we can do.

Timothy Leary led millions to "tune in turn on and drop out" in
the '60s and he wasn't talking about tv but the debate continues
as to whether or not tv is the opiate of the masses or a grand
leavening agent. I suggest that it is a little of both at the moment.

Lewis

llucas@mercury.gc.peachnet.edu