I don’t have a TV in my house.

I know that shocks some people who can’t imagine such a thing. It’s not for religious or ideological reasons as some might suppose, though there is validity to those arguments.

Our TV simply broke two years ago, and we never bothered to replace it. As time went on, we realized we didn’t even miss it. And as more time passed we realized how much we benefited from not having a TV. (We also don’t listen to the radio).

Now don’t think we’ve become Amish (or Chareidi, but I write Amish because most people don’t have that knee-jerk hatred of Amish like they have towards Chareidim). We obviously have internet and we still see movies and TV show, but in quite a different, more controlled manner.

And the benefits we’ve seen are tremendous.

First of all, my kids don’t run over to watch TV.

They know what it is. They may (or may not) watch it if it’s on by somebody’s house, but it doesn’t interest them so much. Why? Because watching movies is a treat like a cookie, something available in controlled doses, and they aren’t being raised on it like it was oxygen.

They like being able to select a show they want to watch, and it a show doesn’t interest them they won’t sit there like zombies. We completely control what they watch and when, and they watch it on the computer – which doesn’t have an instant-on (not this model at least). Just for this benefit alone it’s worthwhile to dump the box.

Second, there is no TV constantly droning on in the background. When we want to watch something, we select what we want (from our DVD collection, or from a friend’s) and watch it. If we step out of the room, we pause the movie/show. But there is no point to let it drone on in the background like we used to do with the TV. Certainly not around the dinner table as I’ve seen families do.

We control the flow.

It is only now that I am not constantly inundated with the news from a Leftwing perspective that I begin to realize how slanted the reports are here. When you hear the same things presented a certain way over and over, the terminology starts to seep in whether you agree with it or not.

When we hear the occasional Israeli news report now, it is shocking to hear how openly slanted the reporting and terminology is. Stepping back from the brainwashing machine really opens your eyes to what is being said and how it is being presented.

Using the internet as our primary source of news, we select what is important to know, and from whose reporting perspective we want to hear it, and when we want to hear or read it. You simply can’t beat that flexibility.

Along the same lines, there is no need to channel surf waiting for something to go on that might be interested, or time-passing. None of this passive time-wasting. And there is no need to watch the garbage that passes for prime-time TV simply because that is all there is available.

Most importantly, we have more free time.

We realized that when we had a TV, we would sometimes just sit and veg there. It wasn’t like there was something important or interesting on, because there wasn’t. But the TV was on, so we watched.

Since the TV has gone, we actually began using our suddenly found free time much more creatively, productively, and enjoyably.

If we want to watch a movie or show, it is an active act that requires preparation and fore-thought.

I highly recommend you trash your TV. Your life will benefit tremendously.