Well, it is official. It is November 18th, 2005 and I have officially gotten rid of my television. I have not actually watched television since November 4th, which was only briefly to watch our President Bush get battered in Argentina, so today isn’t that historic of a day for me other than the fact that I no longer own one of those ugly boxes. I should point out that I do occasionally watch a movie or two on my computer, but for the most part, when I refer to TV or television, I am referring to Broadcast television.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much time you’ve spent watching things you didn’t really even want to watch? Or what you could have done with some of that time? For example, when I think about how many hours, even days I’ve spent watching Major League with Charlie Sheen, either in its entirety or in parts, whether on Comedy Central, TBS, or another channel, it makes me sick!

Have you seen these numbers? The average American spends 4 hours per day watching television. That is 61 days worth of television watching per year! If you live to be the average American life expectancy of 77 years than that comes out to over 12 years of YOUR life watching television. Not only that, but have you thought about whom you are taking those 12 years away from? Your children, your family, your community, your country, yourself?

If your income is around the national average of $45,000 a year than that is over half a million bucks you are giving away, just off of wasted time alone, not counting what you buy because you saw it on TV. If you planned on retiring when you are 65, you could technically do it at as early as 54 if you didn’t watch TV! How about that! Retiring over 10 years earlier!

Now I am not the kind of person to go around blaming other people. So, you are not going to hear me ranting and raving against Hollywood or television executives. The problem here lay solely in the hands of the viewer… he, or she, who holds the remote has the power to turn off the television. I have chosen to do so, and I know that many others have done so as well and many more of you will choose to do so in the future. It is a liberating experience and a life-changing event.