Right now, as I'm writing this, I'm waiting for the newest episode of Blue Bloods to come on. Not because I learn a lot from watching it, not because I experience a dramatic change in perspective after every episode, not because I don't have anything else to do, but because I'm addicted. To what exactly, I'm not sure. The suspense, the drama, the jump scares, the touchy feely makes-me-tear-up parts, I don't know.
I do know, however, that my addiction needs controlling. Some nights, there is nothing I would like more than to avoid all responsibility by watching a Law and Order marathon. But I know (from experience) that wasting all that time really doesn't make me feel better in the end. TV actually intensifies my stress because the whole time I'm watching, I have this list of responsibilities running relentlessly in the back of my mind, and then when I'm done I feel the crushing weight of procrastination threatening to make my life a failure. Maybe that's just me being overly Type-A and unable to relax, but it's the truth.
So why do I still watch TV? Frankly, I like the drama. I'm a human being that enjoys connecting with humanity through stories. And as long as I complete my "have-to's" before my "want-to's" then I allow myself to watch whatever TV I find interesting. Sometimes it proves a true waste of time, like when I watched this horrible health documentary that basically said ALL food causes cancer and the only thing safe is green beans. Correction: organic green beans. But there's something to be said for a beautiful plot that makes you laugh, cry, or ponder while watching, a movie that reveals a truth that sticks with you forever. For example, when Sandra Bullock said in Soul Surfer, "I don't know why terrible things happen, but I do know that something good is going to come out of this." I watched that movie when I was ten and still have not forgotten that line. That was worth my time.
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