Friday, June 12, 2009

No Cable For Me

I have decided to challenge myself with three months of no cable. Why three months? Well, a friend of mine told me that if you can go three months without something, then it proves you aren't addicted to it. A couple of months ago I went one month without cable and, to my surprise, it really wasn't that hard. So I now say bye bye cable! :)

When it comes down to it, cable is just a distraction and such a waste of time! During my month without cable I found that I had time for much more productive and useful things. I responded quickly to letters, read more (if that's possible ;) ), cooked a lot more, spent more time reading the Bible, etc...

After I finish watching a TV show I can't help asking myself, " Why did I just waste my time like that?" and," What did I gain by watching that?" The answers are obvious, I fell into the temptation of watching "just one show" and gained, usually, nothing.

That's another thing I don't like about the cable, once you watch one show it's hard to not stay and watch another. So, before I know it, I've been sitting in front of the TV for an hour or more doing nothing.

I found this article off of a friend's blog and agreed with everything that it said. Here it is:

The Dangers of Television

It provides great temptation to sin.

It robs children of their innocence.

It desensitizes.

It corrupts our values.

It mesmerizes and feeds the subconscious.

It teaches bad behavior.

It promotes political apathy.

It creates needs.

It creates Godless heroes.

It promotes Godless problem solving.

It fuels the imagination with negative images.

It creates a false reality.

It teaches a "no consequence" lifestyle.

It breeds unreal fear.

It promotes mistrust and cynicism.

It feeds self-centeredness and self-indulgence.

It breeds impatience.

It breeds intolerance of deprivation and moderation.

It destroys the attention span.

It creates learning disabilities.

It creates an appetite for entertainment.

It destroys creativity.

It hinders the reasoning process.

It creates artificially induced stress.

It promotes violence.

It breaks down interpersonal communication.

It desensationalizes miracles.

It feeds the desire for supernatural and occult power.

It is addictive in nature.

It can be habit-forming.

It is damaging to our physical health.

It breeds a youth subculture.

It tells you what you need.

It sets fashion standards.

It is a waste of time.

by: Pastor Reb Bradley

"Turn away my eyes from looking on worthless things, And revive me in Your way."
Psalms 119:37

I hope that everyone has a blessed day and weekend!

For Him,

12 comments:

LocaChica said...

Haley that's really neat! I think it's a fantastic idea!
Personally, I'm not sure how I would do for three entire months without tv. I watch maybe a half hour a day, a few days each week. But sometimes up to an hour or two if tennis is on :O
I really like all the reasons NOT to watch tv that you posted.
You go girl!
-Chica
P.s Thank you for commenting on my blog. I love reading your comments!

Katie said...

Haley,
I'm so glad you chose to do this! I'll be praying for you! I found that for the first 2 1/2 months it was really easy but then it began to slow down thus causing me to find productive things to fill my time.
TV and computer can be a total wast of time if not used productively. And I often find myself doing things that are useless.
Thank you for the great post!
Blessings,
~Katie

Rachel said...

Amen and Amen, Haley! What a great post! I totally agree with you, although agreeing and doing are two different things altogether. It's hard to do!! But I really ought to buckle down and go without TV for a month. We don't watch TV, but we do enjoy watching movies. It sure is a waste of time.:)
Thanks so much for this post - it was a really good reminder for me!

Love,
Rachel

Haley said...

Hey Adria,
Oh, thank you! I enjoy your comments as well! Haha, I didn't know that you liked tennis! :)

Love and hugs,
Haley

Haley said...

Hey Katie!
Thanks, your prayers will be appreciated! I have tried to go three months before, but it never has turned out too well. I thought that if I posted about it that I would almost have to do it! ;) I am totally determined to do it this time though and with the help of the Lord I know I can!

Love and hugs,
Haley

Haley said...

Hey Rachel!
Thanks for visiting my blog and taking the time to read the post! And also thanks for leaving me such a wonderful and encouraging comment! :)

Hugs,
Haley

Elizabeth J. said...

Good for you! I'm sure you will be able to go three months without cable. My family has never had cable and I really don't think I'm missing anything at all.

Mrs. E said...

Wow.... how true! :)

Vanessa said...

Wow, while reading all those points my head was shaking up and down. I'm a true and firm believer of that. I do believe that TV is a waste of time, it's a temptation to young men, and a stronghold to others. What you're doing is great!

Vanessa

Nightingale said...

Good for you, Haley!

Shelby Thomas said...

Dear Miss Haley,

Oh! What a great post!!! It takes a very mature girl to make such a decision, and to think about the consequences of something that pop-culture says is a normal part of life.

I have to agree with everything you said. My parents cut off our cable about a year ago. The results have been enormously good. We find ourselves having so much more time to minister to each other, and other families. The TV isn't always blaring, constantly trying to make us compromise our morals, lower our standards and overlook the evil in it's programming. It's not a constant distraction that causes us to pay more attention to the empty characters on the screen rather than the real person in our lives and in our home that's trying to have a relationship with us.

Wow... a long comment. All in all, great post - and your decision and commitment is such an admirable one. Kudos to you, my friend.

Thank you for entering the drawing on King's Daughters, and thank you for adding the button to your blog! I very much enjoy following your blog - it's very pretty!

Christ's blessings,
Shelby

Haley said...

Hello everyone,
Thanks for sommenting! They are all such a blessing.

~
Elizabeth,
No, you're not missing a thing!

~
Vanessa,
Thanks! Yes, I believe that too! It is such a temptation, especially for men. It's really sad.

~
Thanks Courtney!

~
Shelby,
Thank you for your wonderful comment! Yes, it's just a constant distraction and ,for me, really annoying. Wow, everything that you said is so true!

Oh your welcome! Thanks for hosting such a neat giveaway!
Thanks again! I really like your blog too! It is so Godly! Your's is pretty too! :)

~Haley