The first time I saw "The Matrix," in 1999, starring Keanu Reeves, I was sure of two things. First, this movie was a social commentary that would be talked about decades from now. Second, if I were Reeves' character, Neo, I would, without a doubt, ask to be put BACK IN the matrix. Who would leave a level, safe, albeit constructed, restrained and utterly false, world for the dark, weird hell that is his reality?
After a week of slowly weaning ourselves off of TV, I have to admit I feel a little bit like our friend Neo. Bald, covered in slime, confused, enlightened, and, in a little while, likely to be begging for the program that can funnel Kung Fu directly into my mind and limbs.
Suddenly I am being struck by small and large realities that were masked to me before. I find myself challenging them.
The questioning starts with the little things. Why is our living room set up like this? How come we've never sat on this couch like this before? It has a lovely view that just happens to not point in the direction of the not-so-little black box in our living room. Then there are the bigger things. Wow, I usually never get through the entire paper before noon. And here I am doing it. I blamed the kids. It wasn't the kids that were keeping me from truly reading about the world, and not just scanning the headlines.
There are changes in movement. Let's walk to the store instead of driving just for fun! Then there are changes in thought. How come we always follow the Disney script when we play Peter Pan? Why can't Wendy befriend Captain Hook and take turns diving off of the plank?
I am not sure, but I am starting to chip away at the notion that maybe easing off of television can be the beginning of other practices that benefit our bodies and our lives. By entering completely into the world before us--what other choice do we have without "Survivor" or (and I admit I haven't give this one up, not yet, "American Idol?")--perhaps we automatically start to question our own assumptions and behavior. We seek the things that take a little bit longer. We change the script. We see.
But the "Disney script" is, for the most part, following the original story by J.M. Barrie.
ReplyDeleteAnd then there's THIS, too:
http://www.peterpansneverworld.com/
BELIEVE!
days without tv leave so, so much room for so, so much. I have friends who can't figure out how I have time for yoga and hiking and biking and blogging and photographing and writing letters and doing art projects, but they can indeed tell me who is on american idol and/or dancing with the stars.
ReplyDeletei don't think tv is evil. I just think that it's insidious and like any addiction, it can sneak up on you. I try to be vigilant about my media choices and then sometimes I just relax about it a little.
at work on very slow night last year, a co-worker convinced me to watch an almost whole season of dancing with the stars. it wasn't life changing. and since we were watching snippets of it on the internet, after the season was essentially over, it didn't take as long as it would of if we had been watching it on the tv broadcast. the only upside I could see afterward was that I suddenly knew who Julianna Hough when I was her photo in people magazine at the grocery store check out. :-)