Chapter 1. A Vast Wasteland?

Paul has asked us, who are of the Christian faith to "think on the good things." Does TV encourage thinking of the good things? Does TV give us a sense of hope or a sense that we are loved by God? Does the title of this book, "Shall We pray or Watch TV?" imply that we have to choose between the two? Yes, it might be necessary. What does your heart say about the amount of TV you watch? Do you find your life a bit on the boring side? Are you stuck in a routine at work, have the blahs at home, with not much of a social life? Maybe TV offers a wonderful cure by way of escape, for this problem. Sit down, grab the remote and watch the hours roll away until sleepiness overtakes you.

"When television is good, nothing -- not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers -- nothing is better.

"But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there without a book, magazine, newspaper, profit and loss sheet or rating book to distract you -- and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland.

"You will see a procession of game shows, violence, audience participation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And, endlessly, commercials -- many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you will see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, try it."

FCC Chairman, Newton N. Minow, 1961

Now I see these times, in my past, as succumbing to a kind of fatalism. I got into a sense of, "What difference does a day make?" We're all going nowhere so why not try this, since our days aren't amounting to much anyway.

If TV is being used to avoid thinking about the drudgery and/or sense of hopelessness one might have, it is time to consider prayer instead. For, you see, prayer removes all sense of drudgery and all hopelessness, if it is done correctly. God's Holy Spirit will give you a desire to pray as well as the ability to pray effectively, if you earnestly ask for it. Later, we'll have suggestions from God's Word as to how to pray more effectively, so that we don't just wallow before God in a spirit of complaint and self-pity. Jesus said the truth will set us free. He also said not to judge by appearances. So we need to pray in such a way that appearances are not given any credence and God's sovereignty and creative ability IS. But, more on that throughout this book.

I have used movies and videos in an attempt to escape from a sense of drudgery and hopelessness, also. I remember, many years ago, occasionally (if my wife was busy on another project), I would make a movie weekend by renting movies to watch at home, in between scheduled current movie showings. I was definitely overdoing it, but here is what I'd do: I'd sit down and watch one of my rented movies (which I often chose, not on its awards won, or its artistic merit, but on length alone: the longer it was, the better it was in my book—because it meant my head would be buried in its escape, not having to think about life as I was living it) then I'd leap into the car, based on the schedule I'd worked out, and go see a first run movie. At its end, I'd hurry home to watch another rented movie. I am living proof that TV/movies/videos can be addictive¹. I did this the entire weekend!

I look back and think, "What was I running from?" Is life really this mundane? This droll? This drab? It isn't, but it is possible to believe it is and, therefore, create conditions (by our belief) which make us think that life is a complete bore. The attitude that is taken is that we're born, we live some, and then we die. That's all she wrote. It's from dust we came and it's to dust we return. We all ride off into the sunset, rearing our horses up one last time, before the credits roll. Yet, few of us find the thrills of life that TV portrays. Perhaps that contrast between TV or movie lives and our own mundane ones, creates the very futility that causes us to justify wasting our lives staring at a box.

Now, many years later, God has taken me into a different realm of thinking and living. I'm trying to help you think along with me (should you still be in the thinking-that- life-isn't-really-of-much-value mode). God has, over the years, helped me to see that, though prayer seems to do nothing at first, it is actually an incredible catalyst toward an abundant life, promised by God for all of His children. What do I mean by this?

When we close our eyes and pray (not publicly, but in our private prayer closets—wherever they may be), we enter into a world that is not ruled by the world's thoughts. Even when our eyes are open, we are not ruled by the world's thoughts, unless we choose to be. But, when our eyes are closed and we are recognizing the truth (as stated in God's word), we are elevated above the world's games of survival, its games of glittery, unfulfilling "fun," and its games of mere existence. Effective prayer does not take you down into the world of appearances where Satan claims "it's kill or be killed, you have to claw your way up to the top, it's every man for himself, and the one with the most toys, wins" attitude. Prayer cannot take on the same attributes as the world does and be effective. Please read that sentence again. So, it is not only important to pray regularly, so that God can help you become aware of your latent talents that He wants you to use for Him, it is important to know how to pray, what to say, what to believe about yourself and others. The Holy Spirit is the great teacher for us. He actually prays for us (if we allow Him to). Just ask.

1. The article in Scientific American, February 2002 issue, "Television Addiction is No Mere Metaphor" by Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is one of countless articles in many publications devoted to the subject of TV addiction. From this article, we can see that the definition of substance abuse can be applied to TV watching. "Psychologists and psychiatrists formally define substance dependence as a disorder characterized by criteria that include spending a great deal of time using the substance; using it more often than one intends; thinking about reducing use or making repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce use; giving up important social, family or occupational activities to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it." Back

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