In her guest column regarding the coming switch from analog to digital TV (Senior Lifestyles, Sept. 8), Antonia Carroll says we have three options: purchase a convertor box, purchase a digital TV or pay for a television service. We seniors have a fourth option – recycle the old television and go TV-free.
Instead of two or more hours a day in front of the "mind eraser" we could volunteer in our communities, get a job, learn something new (self-study, free college classes for those over 60, etc), become a reading tutor at a library or school, start and maintain a backyard or community garden, listen to music, pray, write a book, sit quietly and think, enroll in a class or do just about anything that doesn’t involve staring at the TV for hours on end.
It can be done. I went through a TV-free period of about six years some time ago, and it was amazing. It took me about six months of actual practice, but I experienced the joy of reading again (personally, I’m convinced the TV somehow re-wires our brains). During that time I never felt out of touch with what was going on in the world, and, I experienced a noticeable improvement in my attitude and general mood.
Chris Hogg, Columbus
