Living 8 years without Television

I was having breakfast in my parents living room early this morning. When it came to my attention that it's been nearly 8 years since i decided to abandon watching television and mainstream media.
Back then i was so frustrated by the lack of morality and objectivity that it put me on my toes every minute i spent in front of the screen.
I was sixteen at the time. Nonetheless the decision wasn't so hard to make, i had an alternative and powerful source at hand already. The internet was my refuge,  an endless flow of information.
The internet seemed like the perfect chaos. A place where you can make sense of things on your own. Listen to different propositions and formulate your own opinion.
On the  contrary to what media provides. Flat and one-sided opinions guided by political agendas.
Like the atomic bomb, media rose from the ashes of good thinking to end up as a tool of manipulation and obfuscation.
I started looking back and seeing if i made the right choice. What i lost and gained in return as a consequence of my decision. For that matter of every decision we make as human beings in any aspect of our lives. We need to pause, evaluate and push forward through proper thinking.
I tried putting things on a list to clearly see major differences.

1.  Being off track:
    I was out of touch for almost 8 years of what's happening in the political arena in my country. What's trending and local public figures. I almost knew very little about the political parties, their strategies and course of actions. Not that i showed any particular interest as a teenager but now the difference is more noticeable since i engage in conversations with friends and colleagues about various national subjects.
2. Became more productive: 
   It certainly did me good to have more free time at hand. I read more books, watched debates and movies that i picked personally. That enhanced my analytical and reasoning abilities.
   You would see different people speaking about the same subject, each with their uncensored and creative way. The anonymity that the internet provides makes people unleash their demon and man, the devil is in the details.
   This may seem irrelevant or of miner depth, but i assure you it is not. In television people hide behind curtains of fear of society or for personal agendas...
   In the internet things are different, there are no boundaries and certainly no chains. 
3. Minus one consumer:
   Mainstream media thrives because we consume their products. No matter how mediocre they get, if we keep watching they'll keep delivering in an endless cycle of demolishing intellectual thinking, one generation after another.
   Our thinkers, philosophers and hardworking individuals going extinct from this industry and leaving the common mortals with nothing to enlighten them and make them better citizens for the benefit of their well being and the well being of their community.
   If we turn off our televisions they'll have no one to sell to. They'll be left with two choices. Either close business or comply with our demands for more honest creative and thoughtful content.
4. Convenience:
   It surely is convenient to be constantly up to date with what's happening all around you. Watching news everyday at 8PM sure makes you less ignorant of what did the government do in light of certain events or where we're at from solving a situation. But a filtered/one-sided information isn't the reality of things.
   If the messenger altered the message would we be able to question its integrity?
   Ultimately if seeking the truth, convenience isn't your way through. Nothing good comes easy.
   I have this same convenience issue with social media but we'll leave that to a different post.
5. Less stress:
   Thank the heavens for this blissful feeling. You watch news and all you see is killing and suffering and corruption and  when you walk down the streets everything seems normal. Not that I'm denying the cruelty of the world. But it is exaggerated to the point it makes you stressed constantly, worrying and sad.

My current situation:
 Now i'm subtle navigating myself to the truth. Not blindly listening to irrational and obscure manipulative stupid people. Cutting ties with things that will take the best of me. Living a new experience now, having spent 2 months without facebook, which i will discuss in a future post.

I urge you not to make stupid people famous, for you will end up stupid yourself.
Leave convenience for convenient people and take the staircase instead of the elevator for it will make you observe information from all its layers and benefit your mental health.