It’s called the idiot box by many. There’s a reason for that, and it’s not because the actors behave like idiots. It’s because you cannot sit in front of a television like a vegetable for hours and days on end and expect to have enhanced your mind.
There’s a reason why reading books has such a powerful effect on a person’s mental development. The mind must perform so many tasks just to accomplish the comprehension of the story. It’s really quite amazing.
Having said that, I sit and, on average, watch two or three hours of television per day. It’s time lost that can never be regained. Still, I can’t say that I regret it.
I read books when I happen across a keeper. I’ve just read an excellent review of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, so I think that will be one of my next picks. Right now I am starting The Meaning of the City, by Jacques Ellul. I’m trying to regain some of that edge I had while in college, when my mind felt razor sharp compared to these past few years.
I could only get ahold of Ellul’s books through interlibrary loan, so I have to finish it off within the next three weeks. Ordinarily, three weeks is nothing for a book, but we’re getting busier and busier lately. No complaints. Just the facts.