I was sitting in a movie theatre one day killing time between classes when I saw something that got me thinking. Before the movie starts they show previews for upcoming films, nowadays before the previews there are commercials. There was one commercial in particular that stood out that day. It was for a new line of cell phones that had broadband capabilities so you could watch streaming videos. In the commercial the people who owned the cell phones had all of their attention focused on the video regardless of where they were or what was going on around them.

I imagined what the world would be like if the commercial was real and everyone owned one. No one would go to work; we’d all be glued to the latest news. People wouldn’t go for walks in the park because they have to watch that replay were the athlete screwed up and cost his team the game. Nothing would be important except watching the new Shakira video.

The sad thing about this is that it isn’t so far off. Television has consumed us as a society. Can you think of a time were you didn’t watch TV for at least two days? Neither could I. Weather it’s watching the news or Laguna Beach, playing your PS2 or Xbox. Even if you’re high and watching Crash Box, TV is a part of our pattern. Television has become an addiction equal to, even greater than, cigarettes. The temptation is all around us, in our homes, in bars, train stations, doctor’s office, even our schools. Now with the new generations of cell phones and ipods that can carry videos there is no limit to were we can get our fix.

We need to remember that there is a physical world to experience. We need to chased by cops for skateboarding were we’re not suppose to. We need to go as high as the swings can take us and jump off. We need to experience life first hand and scrape our knees. Which would you prefer? Telling your kids how you jumped off the roof of your friends car and grinded your face against the asphalt, biting though your upper lip? Or, That episode of “Happy Days” were Fonzie goes “AYYYYY”?