Dumbing down – why we don’t watch TV

Dumbing down or why we don’t watch TV

My husband and I turned off the television and cut the cable about 2 years ago. Why? There were many reasons that still hold true today, as I will elaborate:

• CHANNEL
• PROGRAMS
• PROGRAMMING
• BIG BUSINESS

A child of the 60s

Being a child of the 60s, I used to sit on the floor (or lay down), and watch television (TV) for many hours. Hours on end. And when I wanted to watch a different show, I had to physically get up to change the CHANNEL. (Gasp! I know, right?)

Ah, yes. All those shows, or rather PROGRAMS. They were funny, sad, dramatic, or fascinating. They were full of words and actions all specifically geared to grab and hold my attention via a CHANNEL and PROGRAM me! And boy, did they keep me focused. They put me into such a trance like state that my mother often had a hard time getting my attention!

The dawn of reality

Many years later, it dawned on me. They call it television PROGRAMMING for a reason. And I had been hoodwinked to think they had just been entertaining me. But, the entertainment industry is a business. BIG BUSINESS.

Fast forward some 40 years. My husband began watching my favorite soap opera with me. After a few weeks, he said, “They just keep bringing these characters back from the dead, don’t they?” And then something clicked in me. It’s all the same story—repeating all the time! I began to spot the patterns. And in every show on mainstream TV, we could surmise the storyline and tell what the plot would be, before it even happened!

We quit watching

Eventually, after being lulled to sleep enough times, or annoyed by lazy screenwriters, we quit watching any mainstream TV and switched entirely to the pay CHANNELS! The writers for the shows on HBO, Showtime, and such were so much sharper! But even with that, we would find ourselves bored in one or two seasons of most series, and watch movies instead.

More importantly, we could see certain agendas being pushed. Common narratives. Plus, we were always being “sold” something. The advertising was getting so ridiculous! And we wondered if we were the only ones awakening to the games show BUSINESS was playing.

What was happening to the masses of people watching?

Dumbing down

First, let’s start with those monotonous soap operas. We know they were originally developed to sell the stay-at-home moms, soap. Yes, literally.

Then, there were episodic shows that prompted the whole consumer mentality to “keep up with the Joneses”—whomever the Joneses were! And who would care? Apparently, a whole lot of folks. And the beast of advertising every product or service from A to Z began to run rampant.

People tend to literally zone out in front of the TV and in that mental state, whatever they see and hear gets absorbed into their mind—and into every cell of their body!

We lose track of time when we watch TV. And many of the shows seem to push dogmas or agendas. And when one disagrees with those threads of dogma, that can cause anxious feelings or ANXIETY! I want to feel FREE and at peace.

Historically speaking, when the television remote came onto the scene, people as a society began to mute the commercials. Why? And when we got a video recording device, for me at least (it was an $800 VCR from a rental place), we could fast forward through all the commercials! I loved that, but didn’t think about why. I was just happy that I could watch my daytime soaps at night after I got home from work! Oh, those were the days!

But, I digress.

Story lines and plots

It seemed every family show was full of chaos and challenges. Everyone was always buying something new. Or one of the characters had some lingering issue. The dumber or more silly the story, the funnier we thought it was, until it wasn’t. Every good family value seemed to be shaken.

I yearned for smart stories and plots. Intelligent writing that would intrigue me. I wanted more love and no fear—because I’d learned that every choice came from clear discernment.

Truth in advertising?

We have been overly stimulated by the commercials. Big business runs it all anyway. I mean, who else can afford a TV commercial?When alcohol and tobacco ads were banned, the pharmaceutical and insurance industries jumped in to fill the void. Oh, brother!

Those big pharma commercials began to bother me so much, I would get mad! And that’s when I began to awaken. I began to question what the hell was going on. The list of side effects include DEATH!

It all matters

I’ve been a holistic health researcher and proponent of alternative health methods since 2005, but actually my interest in natural health began much earlier (when I was 6 years old). I explain this all in my book, Take It Upon Yourself to Live a Wholly Vibrant Life! (Hint: my mom and her parents believed and used spiritual healing ways, and chiropractic.)

When I questioned myself and why it took me 20 years to quit watching my favorite soap opera I realized it all boiled down to consumerism. And I had been programmed since I was a toddler!

Thankfully, I’ve emerged from the PROGRAMMING! And it’s a good thing too, because we are too busy to watch TV now.

What do we do instead?

• I work a day job (see my holistic resume)
• Working our new business, Murrey Makers—multimedia advertising that combines my intuitive word coaching and writing skills, along with my sharp eye for details that most people miss, with my husband’s award-winning graphic/illustration talent and songwriting, to draw in dream clients
• Chat with those interested in our new business to see how we can help them
• Video conferencing with our 8 year old granddaughter (and 3 year old twins when she shares her time with them… haha!)
• Researching health issues such as COVID-19
• Building new friendships online
• Reading
• Walking / Exercising (mostly at home)
• Speaking/emcee – The Awakening Wellness Festival
• Moving
• Learning new skills and applications for running our new business by working with a high ticket business coach
• Singing / rehearsing some of my husband’s 400+ original songs and marketing them online
• Sifting for people to share with about our non-toxic health supplement (see my previous articles)
• Writing (I have written 3 books, and have a 4th in progress—and I jot down my visions)
• Blogging on my two sites and updating articles when links change
• Contributing blog articles to The Wellness Universe
• Creating new designs with my sayings on them for: t-shirts, mugs, cell phone covers, stickers, shopping bags, tapestries, and more
• Going “Live” on Facebook and managing groups and pages there
• Making “Off Grid” videos at the new place
• Socializing with friends before we moved Feb 29th and after, meeting new neighbors
• Putting in solar – adjusting to the new lifestyle
• Putting in a garden
• Adhering to all the rules around COVID-19, grocery shopping and washing every can, bottle, jar, and such since my husband is 65+ and can’t leave the house

Whew! Until I wrote this, I hadn’t realized why I was so tired! (And why I had been feeling down for a week or so and missed a business retreat).

Yes, I still must take care to actually DO my own self care!

Why all PROGRAMMING bothers me?

We’re smart. Too intelligent to be sold to or duped for long. We’re Awakening. Stubborn and independent. And we’re critical thinkers. Yep. That’s why.

Why big pharma ads bother me?

No one knows your body (and mind) as well as YOU! And this is where (and why) I get all spiritual, because everything is Connected.

We can be our own shaman, guru, preacher, healer, and priest.

We love heart energy and work on renewing our minds everyday. We are fully capable of reaching, listening to, and communing with Spirit everyday.

Spirit created the body and renews the mind, if we but open ourselves to receive.

Jesus, the Christ came to show us the Whole way to live. With God (Omniscience). And that each of us have all that we need. We don’t need a church—sure it is nice to fellowship there, share, show compassion, or enjoy some time, but the point is that we don’t NEED it. Empower yourself with self study. Or simply commune with God as a little child.

A bit about us:

My husband is an award-winning illustrator, plus he is a seasoned guitarist, bass player, and songwriter (of over 400 original songs). You can view some of his artwork and listen to all of his songs at: http://listen4music.com

Here’s us: https://vimeo.com/416711742?ref=fb-share

A bit about me, your Spiral Sister

I would love to speak at your bookstore, crystal shop, acupuncture / chiropractor office, or other holistic / natural fair or festival. I support healthy lifestyle businesses. For information on both of my books, visit my Amazon author’s page — Click here.

An Amazon bestselling author of two co-authored books: “Transform Your Life Book 2 Inspirational Stories and Expert Advice” and “Energy of Receiving”, available on Amazon. 

Plus, my holistic health book that details how I naturally reversed asthma, Take It Upon Yourself to Live a Wholly Vibrant Life, is available now. Buy it here. 

Be the best version of who you want to be. 

Information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or prescribe.