In the movie The Matrix, humanity was enslaved by machines which plugged into their brains and created an artificial reality, while sapping their energy. Only when people unplugged from this Matrix would they begin to see, feel, and live in the real world. It is not too different from how many people live a good chunk of their lives plugged into a television set. The TV creates an artificial reality, and drains people of their valuable time and energy...and money. It is only when a person unplugs from the television ‘matrix’ that their real life begins.

It is amazing how much of people’s views of reality are dictated by the TV screen. Ideals, morals, norms, paradigms, world views and belief systems are all projected into people’s minds, through such diverse vehicles as the ‘soap opera’, ‘documentaries’, ‘televised sports’, ‘reality shows’, 'news', the 'WWF', and even 'cartoons'.

The reason the TV has this power is that the brain has several major areas that react differently to the world, and to TV. One area of the brain is the more primitive, emotional, non-rational part. This part is not able to distinguish between what is real and what is not. It simply reacts to situations on an emotional basis. The other part of the brain is the logical part, the part that analyzes situations logically and deciphers what is real vs. what is not real, like TV. Together they help an individual survive.

The problem with television is that it largely shuts down the center of the brain which deals with critical thought. When a person is watching television, primarily his or her emotional center is reacting, and the emotional center reacts to the images as if they were real. That is why a person can become so engaged in a movie or soap opera or even a sports event. That part of the brain does not truly understand that it is not real.

In that sense it is also like a dream. Whilst dreaming, a person cannot tell that they are merely dreaming and their thoughts do not carry into the ‘real world’. The difference with dreaming and television is that in dreaming the dreamer, at least his or her subconscious, is actually in control. With television, the media and broadcasting companies, and their executives, are in full control - at least, until someone turns off the TV.

Furthermore, the more TV a person watches, the more the logical side of the brain will atrophy. The more a person’s critical thinking atrophies, the more he or she will lose touch with the real world. The more that person loses touch with the real world, the more vulnerable they will be to manipulation and the more dependent they will be on the television to tell them what to think, do, and say.

So, unplug your brain from the TV. A whole new life awaits you, a real life, a life that you will create. What happens after that is up to you. As Neo says at the end of the Matrix, “I’m not here to tell you how this is going to end. I’m here to tell you how it's going to begin”.

Let it begin.

Sources:
"Television: Opiate of the Masses" by Wes Moore
"TV Alters Brainwaves" by Michael Ballard

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Katherine Westphal is the founder of a daring new website TrashYourTV.com, that makes it fun and easy for people to get control of their TV set. Are you addicted to TV? Take our TV Addiction Quiz and find out!

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