Finding the satisfaction of enough is a journey. As we learn to be more financially stable and wiggle out of the binds of consumerism, we also learn to be happy and satisfied from other avenues. However, there are a number of beliefs and habits that we need to wean ourselves off of as we take our journey to becoming a postconsumer. One of these steps involves learning to walk away from the television. Yes, we know. Your stomach just clenched at the very thought! But there are some real reasons to reduce how much television you watch if you’re looking to find your peak level of living a satisfied life.
According to the A.C. Nielsen Company, the average American watches more than four hours of television per day. If you do the math, that’s twenty-eight hours per week or two full months per year. If you lived to be sixty-five, you would have spent nine years watching television. Ouch. And why is television bad for you if you’re working towards the goal of the satisfaction of enough?
Media Messaging: One of the biggest obstacles that you’ll need to overcome while working towards your satisfaction quotient is the idea that happiness is defined by “stuff.” However, if you watch television with regularity, this is exactly the message that will be emphasized to you. We’re not just talking about the commercials, either. The way that families and “successful” individuals are portrayed in most television shows enforces the myth that happiness means hot cars, huge homes and constantly stuffed shopping bags. If you’re allowing your brain to absorb four hours of that messaging per day, you’re making it difficult on yourself to think differently.
Physical Fitness: A postconsumer is a happy person, and a happy person is a healthy person (both mentally and physically as much as possible). We know there are healthier ways for you to spend those four hours of your day! Get out there and do them!
So, in short, what we’re saying is that if you give up even just two hours of television a day then you’re removing yourself from two hours of media messaging and giving yourself two hours to get mentally or physically healthy. We think that’s not only an important step on the path to becoming a postconsumer, it’s just a logical decision to make!
