Being real is fun

Is it because media - internet, tv etc have made information more accessible that we don't know what we want as real anymore? Why are people popping pills to make them feel better ? Today we escape into the made up lives of TV, movies and reality shows. Is that what life is really today?

With these shows continuously in our living rooms and life, what kind of lesson are we teaching our children.  The shows are reality shows where the language is mostly coarse and adult humor. The couple of times I have seen snippets, the folks on the show are being berated or behaving with no self respect or doing "whatever it takes" to win. If one cannot love and respect oneself, how will others do that.

This is definitely not the life that will make the world a better place. We are jsut encouraging the media to push the "dare" factor to stupider levels. It used to be, do you dare to sneak out and go for a movie, now it is what coarse language can you get away with, what insults can you hurl... Sounds like banging your head on the wall would be a better idea of a "dare".

I was trying to think how things have changed in my life over time. Growing up in a lower middle class family with not much to spend on extracurricular activities, we "invented" games using stones, sticks and whatever else was there for free. We played outside from the time we got home from school till our parents were screaming at us to get in and do our homework. We celebrated the little success - an A in Maths, a note praising that essay in English, the tones used in the read-aloud. We grew up in a society where praise was not given freely but for well deserved acts. It encouraged us to try to do better. The TV shows were shows that encouraged moral values. They taught the lessons of practical prudence and the importance of education. I still remember the scene in the Bill Cosby show where his son Theo believes he doesn't need an education to live comfortably. His Dad sat him down to do the Math - His Dad gives him an amount of money representing a generous monthly salary for a "regular person". He then takes money out of Theo's hand in amounts representing various costs such as housing, food, clothes, transportation and finally a girlfriend, until there is nothing left.  I love the series so I bought the show so my kids could watch it but the snippet I was talking about you could see here -Bill Cosby teaches Theo about money.

Life is not a battle for supremacy. We are social beings. If we take a moment to truly encourage and teach the right values and look for those in others, I'm sure we don't need to be discouraged or depressed. If we learn to enjoy the positive things around us - good manners, healthy debates, respect, I truly believe that life would be better for us and the people around us.