Are You Input Only?

By -Daniel Taverne-

Are you input-only? I realize that most people who work for a living produce a lot of output so to answer this question accurately, “input” must be defined in terms of what you do with your spare time. To that end, I define input-only as a constantly fulfilled desire to be sitting on the couch in front of a television soaking up any thing it puts out.

To begin with, I can’t tell you how many times, over the past few years, I’ve sat in front of my television asking myself, “Why am I wasting my time watching this?” Curiously, I found I was asking myself this question a lot more since the advent of reality shows such as “Oh Brother”, “Freak Factor”, and “The Amazing Waste”. (Note: I have disguised the names of these shows to protect their true identities)

Soon, however, my disdain for reality shows spread as I realized other programs I viewed in the past(though different in content) were just as time consuming. This new realization led me to understand that every time I sat down to watch TV, I was sadly wasting an opportunity to create some output.

Responding to this epiphany, I rediscovered my passion for writing and now spend a lot of time at my computer terminal making my wife feel abandoned in the TV room. Eventually, when my wife angrily asks me why I don’t sit down and watch TV with her much anymore, I tell her, “It’s because I don’t want to be input-only.”

Granted, I could watch some television and still be able to create some output, but since I’ve managed to break from the endless story lines and continuous plots, I find I have absolutely no desire to endure them further. Additionally, the other side of the coin (creating the output) has been infinitely more fulfilling to me.

So what are you? Are you input-only? Or, do you relish an ability to create output as I do. Maybe you are caught up in wishing you could produce some output, but you can’t seem to break free of your television’s hold. What ever your situation, it should do you some good to think of all the things you could be doing if not for that idiot box.

For example, if you are a mom, think of all the silent hours you spend watching TV that can instead be spent creatively nurturing the relationship between you and your child. Additionally, if you turn off the TV, you might find you have time to write some poetry, or that novel that’s been brewing in the back of your mind for years. Similarly, tuning out the TV could give you the time to plant that garden, or write a song.

Another point I want to make is that people who are input-only are much easier to manipulate by the media, and they are a lot les likely to question our government’s actions. Furthermore, most people who are input-only never fully realize their dreams, and seldom express better ways of doing things.

Also, I believe it’s possible for input-only to be toxic to our health. Let’s look at it in other more familiar terms. If all you ever did was ingest food without ever using the bathroom, you wouldn’t be feeling too good, would you? Also, if all you ever did was inhale air, but couldn’t exhale it, wouldn’t you have problems? In these two cases it’s obvious that input-only is pathological, and since overloading you with input is the nature of television, is it not reasonable to conclude a person who spends most of their free time tuned in that some sort of pathology could result?

/To answer this question, all we have to do is look at our nation’s incidence of obesity, and obesity related medical conditions. Although not attributed only to television, it’s no secret that television has contributed, in large part, to increasing the numbers of people struggling with these problems.

Sadly, in all walks of life people have become addicted to their televisions output (becoming input-only) and have forgotten how to utilize their spare time to create output of their own. To that end, being input-only is a state of mind that affected people should strive to change. If you are one such person, I suggest you try to remember something you like to do that gives you a sense of fulfillment, then turn off the TV and start doing it. It doesn’t matter that your family might consider you to be a little nuts for a while. You see, after you begin to feel like one of life’s participants, rather than a passive observer, you will become a happier, more involved person, who is much easier and desirable to live with.