WATCHING TELEVISION

TELEVISION offers many opportunities for learning and for entertainment. Coverage of sporting events lets you feel as though you are sitting in the stands. News and information programs keep you informed about current affairs, history, science, and the arts.
But television must be used wisely. Many families look through the program listings together at the beginning of each week and pick a few good shows they want to watch. Otherwise, they leave the television off and use their free time for reading, playing sports, learning music, helping neighbors, working on Scout projects, and enjoying each other.
In addition to filling so many hours, television programs and commercials often present fantasy views of life. Actors neatly solve all their problems by the end of each show. They sometimes use violence to settle differences with others. Smoking, drinking, unwise sexual activity, and illegal drug use are sometimes shown as being glamorous.
Of course, solving real problems takes lots of hard work. Hitting or shooting real people causes pain and death, not peace. Tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse can make real people ill and dependent. Talk with your family about what you see on television. Do you agree with the way the actors are treating one another? Could the story really have happened the way it was presented? By discussing programs, you can better separate the make-believe of television (rom the realities of life.