12 August 2011

I love TV!

Television, “human’s best friend”—from the movie “Son of the Mask”—is the symbol of idleness. A person who sits all day in front of the TV is a “couch potato,” lazy, sloppy and lacking in imagination and creativity.

But I do love TV. I love drama, and easily identify with the emotions of people portrayed in a dramatic series. Nowadays, when there is so much “reality TV” around, it is easy to get carried away and feel as if you have participated. There are many interesting stories in these shows: the rich guy who bravely takes to the streets and tries out life as a homeless person for a few days; a man or woman with a regular job in metropolitan London who briefly gives up all creature comforts and lives a tribal life in a remote part of the world. “The Deadliest Catch” helps me appreciate why king crabs are so expensive when they finally arrive on our plates.

I don’t necessarily agree with what these people do. For example, what right do these people from “civilization” have to intrude into the world of these tribes? But listening to the story of a young rich kid who became homeless made me more mindful of how I relate to and interact with homeless people.

TV provides free entertainment and, if you choose wisely, offers great entertainment. How else would I learn so much about the world of reptiles, wildlife rescues and the intelligence of the octopus, if not from “Animal Planet”? How else would we learn what to do in the “Worst Scenario” and what myths to debunk if not for the Discovery Channel?

TV is our connection to the world. I remember reading an article describing how some seniors who were not very mobile and had to stay indoors a lot had a kind of control center set up around them. They would sit in their most comfortable chair in the living room, with the TV in front of them and a remote control by their side. The telephone was also within arm’s reach. The way they were positioned, they could also see whatever was going on outside their living room window. I found this most interesting, and think maybe I will do the same when I am old.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

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