Visitors to our home never fail to note one thing: the television; or to be more precise, the lack of it. They try to determine its existence in a number of places; and having failed to do so; venture to ask THE question: Don’t you have a TV?
No, we answer, knowing the effect that it would have. The visitors are at first amused, thinking we are just kidding; and then appalled, when they realize that we are in fact revealing the truth, and nothing but the truth.
We do not have a TV; and have no plans to acquire one; at least in the short term.
I have been living away from my home for more than 7 years now; first for the studies, and then for job. There has never been a TV in any of my accommodations and frankly, nor there has been any shortage of things to be done… there are books to read; blogs to write, movies to watch. There are some good friends to spend time talking to.
One person who could have changed this would have been my wife. In fact, after getting married, I was almost prepared to buy a TV. But it came as a surprise – a pleasant one at that – when she herself vehemently opposed having the device in the house.
Not that either of us dislikes watching TV. If the mood reigns, we could easily spend days and nights watching any damn thing being broadcast. But as of now, we don’t wish to. We visit multiplexes once a month, and occasionally catch a movie on the laptop. These days, almost everything from TV is available as DVDs… and if not, it can be downloaded from the Internet!
This is not to condemn the TV. It is a powerful medium; one that can educate, entertain and inspire. But, it is also too tempting to resist for long.
However, things might change a bit. We are planning to get a wide-screen and a DVD player so as to enjoy the English titles at their best.
Till then, the visitors would have to contend with either talking with us or reading some magazines. There are quite a few of them.
