Recently I had a very precious friend and her son stay with me for a couple of days. During their stay, all three of us went into town for the day. To understand that this is a big day needs a little explaining. Where I live it takes 1 hour 15 minutes to drive from my home to the centre of town. We left home at 8am, and arrived home at 3.30pm. All of us were feeling a little tired from our day.
As we arrived home, my friend turned the TV on and her son sat down to watch it while we unpacked and prepared for the evening meal. It wasn’t long after that I noticed a change in him. When his Mum talked to him or suggested that he have a bath before tea, he was rude and mean. Initially I was putting this down to his being tired.
We all sat down to an early evening meal and again, he was still niggly and being mean and cutting. As we began to eat I could sense that it had something to do with what was on the TV, so I said that while we were eating our meal, I would turn the TV off, and did so.
What followed was a huge learning curve for all of us. The tsunami of insults and anger that came through him was very intense. He was using phrases and wording that were directing harm to all in the room. He insisted that he wanted to throw his meal on the floor. All of this was instant, as soon as the TV was turned off. He literally attacked me and said he hated me in ways that a child of 6 just doesn’t use. He even told me that I hated him, to which I replied very steadily, “I love you dearly.”
During all of this I remained very calm, present and tender with both him and his Mum. We made it through the meal and he did eat most of it, and then his Mum took him off to bath.
While he was bathing, his mother and I had time to talk about what we had just witnessed. We discussed that the energy that was coming through the programme that he was watching had affected him and that the way he was behaving just now was not really him. His Mum was relieved and she said that this sort of behaviour had happened before, but she had not understood what was going on for her child. We discussed that he might continue with it for a little time yet, but to not give in to it, to remain steady and loving, providing a clear strong presence of love for him to return to when he was ready.
After our discussion, I had a meeting to attend so I left them both for an hour. In that time they sat together reading books and talking and the little boy completely settled. He was enjoying his Mum and the time they were spending together. This was really beautiful to feel and to experience. When my meeting ended I came up into the kitchen and began preparing some food for myself and for my friend and her son to take for the next day. Soon after he came out to help and there was no residual effect from his tirade. Together we prepared the food and spent some time sitting on the couch talking and doing jigsaw puzzles.
When my children were little, if they behaved this way when they were tired, I would have simply written it off as their being tired and that I had to just put up with the behaviour until they went to bed. I did not have the understanding to be able to discern if there was more going on than their tiredness.
Our children are very sensitive beings and are affected by what is going on around them, all of the time. To experience the effect that a TV programme had on this young child brought home to me the very deep truth of this fact.
As parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents and family friends, we all know the children in our lives inside out, and all of us have the responsibility to discern and to understand what is going on in their lives and to sense the activities or experiences that cause them to change.
Watching TV is now considered one of those normal things that both adults and children participate in every day. For myself, the above experience has shown me that much discernment is needed in participating in this daily activity. How do we feel after watching a programme? Does the programme really support us to relax or does it incite us into emotional reactions and judgements? The same reactions can be observed in our children. I know for myself that TV was a great babysitter for when I needed to get things done in the house, but now I really wonder if this was truly the case! Very often after completing the tasks, my children would be more emotional and needy than they had been before popping them in front of the TV.
I feel that there is more to the above scenario than we are willing to acknowledge: that how we are feeling and how we plan our days is where we as adults may be able to adjust and change, so that there is less need to expose our children to TV and the energy that the programmes may bring with them. That there is a level of responsibility we can step up to with our own self-care that will in turn support our children.
In the past several years I have chosen to be a student of Universal Medicine and the Ageless Wisdom Teachings that Serge Benhayon presents. I have learnt a lot about myself during this time. Situations in life have shown me just how irresponsible I had been with my self-care and how this has impacted on my family. When I was living tired and feeling run down, I simply did not have the energy to be discerning with activities like TV and in other areas in my family’s lives.
What Serge has shown me is that love of myself is needed first and foremost. I have now come to understand that this love, once chosen, simply expands to having a deep love for others in my life. It was through this feeling of love within that I was able to see the effect that the TV programme was having on this young child and it was the deep love that I felt for him that prompted me to take the action I did.
From the above experience, I feel deeply that many of the programmes that are aired on TV are not supportive of our families living together, with care and understanding for each other. A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives, and a commitment to allowing us to be honest and to connect to how a programme leaves our family, and ourselves, feeling after watching it. Only then do we have a clear choice as to what we allow to come into our homes from the TV. Only then can we eliminate those programmes that do not support our family to live in the harmony that is the natural way of being, when living together as a community of people that a family is.
Published with permission of my friend.
By Leigh Strack, Eungella
Further Reading:
Doing the Unthinkable: Going on a Technology Detox
My TV Addiction
That’s entertainment? Wired for distraction
Television, What we see on the screen is not all that enters our house, there is always an energy being beamed through to us, some of which can be very addictive.
This is an interesting statement
‘Watching TV is now considered one of those normal things that both adults and children participate in every day.’
It’s considered as normal as drinking alcohol everyday but this doesn’t mean it’s good for us. Watching television or say drinking alcohol comes with an energy that we do not for the most part discern, both affect the way we breathe and if it is not us breathing our own breath then what is breathing us? What was the energy in the little boy that made him act up in the way he did? If we read the energy we can support if we just write it off as the boy being tired then we are complicit in the game that is being played with us all.
If there ever was purpose to TV it was to entertain and relax us and it seems the longer-term affect has been the opposite. As it stimulates and becomes a distraction away from True purpose as this article has shared.
I recently felt after watching a film my heart beats stronger, more stressed, than it normally does. I don’t regret not having a TV or Streaming, because when I do I can feel more loudly it’s effects.
Leigh I feel that not only TV has this effect on our bodies but that what we listen to or watch on our computers or mobile phones affect us too. As someone else has written in a comment, we are very sensitive human-beings and yet we bludgeon our senses with sounds and vision that have a damaging effect on our health over time.
Thank you Leigh, what I am feeling is that we can switch the TV off but it can keep on playing in our heads for years if not decades to come, such is it’s influence that it has had on our lives. Maybe we think we are acting out a part in life, taking on a role that is created and not normal, feeling how we can go into comfort, walk in a way that we feel we are this tough personified persona or air of fatalistic invincibility, when the truth is we have a sacredness we can live as a responsibility for everything and thus can walk and hold a deep stillness or repose-full way so we are connected to our Soul-full-essences. Then by moving and walking in this most Loving way we can undo these treads or those ill living ways and reclaim back our true power in family and relationships from those years that were lost to a screen.
The deeper I go in my relationship to loving the self the greater aware and authoritative I am becoming. It makes absolute sense that when I take care and look after myself I naturally support others and when lived a huge difference this makes in my life and that of those around me.
I have really noticed how this has changed the behaviour of young people in my life too but now it is not just tv it is the constant (and I mean constant) gaming or watching youtube.
When I got back to the UK from overseas after 5 years I got rid of the wall mounted TV fixture and must say that my whole flat feels entirely different and much more spacious and light.
The understanding that energy comes through us is very revealing and offers an awareness that is not the person that is causing a disturbance but the energy that is coming through them.
Yes Mary, and this blog is such a great example of the disturbance energy coming through a person can cause.
We have not been taught this huge science, that Serge Benhayon has reintroduced that all is because of energy. We tend to see the physicality of someone who is being rude or abusive and pin the blame for such behaviour on them. If we were able to relearn that we are moved by energy, so there is an energy coming through us what is that energy is it harming or loving. I have come to the understanding that when we get caught up in the physicality of life, he said/ she said something that was hurtful then we have lost the opportunity to understand life at a deeper level and so get caught in the emotional blame game then we have given the energy oxygen and the energy has won. If we can read the energy coming through ourselves and others and not react then we starve the energy of our emotions that it feeds off.
I noticed the change in my children’s behaviour after they watched TV or a movie and decided to limit their exposure to screen time. It wasn’t until I came to Universal Medicine that I become aware of how energy works and I started to understand why the change in their behaviour occurred. What you’ve share Leigh is brilliant and very much needed.
It is shocking the impact that the television can have on anyone who is watching it and the effects are then felt by everyone else so we certainly have a responsibility to be discerning about what is viewed if we choose to have one (or often several now) in our homes. Thank you for illustrating so clearly what played out after a short time and nowadays many children have the TV as a constant background in their lives with no time to process what they are being exposed to.
I haven’t had a tv in my house for quiet some time but there was one that the people I shared the house with and I could instantly tell when the tele was on. Now not having one for a good couple of years it is instantly felt when I am around one and I can feel how it is trying to make its way in, trying to hook you in and I can see how it changes people. What the programs, movies, games etc that we allow in really do have an impact.
TV = a channel of energy. The question is which energy are you letting in. Our need blinds us to this fact.
When TV’s were first introduced into our homes we saw them as innocent objects with the potential to provide educational programs to school children and meaningful drama and news to the general public, little did we know that down the line this object would become anything but innocent.
I’ve noticed how when my toddler looks at anything on the internet or TV – she changes. She gets very sucked in very quickly and it is pretty incredible to witness the instant change in her when she engages with it. It reflects to me her deep sensitivity and the responsibility I have to help her to understand this.
It is no wonder that 80,000 odd children are reported in the UK study as suffering from depression, Not only TV but the whole world has opened up to them through mobile phones and the internet, if that is what TV does to a young child, then no wonder with the energetic bombardment that is part of our everyday lives, that there is so much depression in our young children.
This story of how Leigh’s child friend reacted so strongly to what he was watching and after turning it off indicates to me that what we perceive with our vision is taken into our bodies and ‘digested’ is the same as eating food and it affects our bodies in an energetic way just like physical food does. This proves once again that everything is energy and happens because an energy makes it happen (what Serge Benhayon has been teaching for almost two decades now).
Michael Goodhart the presentations and teachings of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have reintroduced a science that humanity has forgotten. Life can become so simple when we read and discern the energy coming through another person, because then we have depersonalised the encounter. I wish I had known this as a child. It would have made life a lot easier because then we can become observers of life rather than getting caught up in the emotions of it.
Likewise Linda, I had my staple diet and would upset myself if denied these.. and as a teenager would stay up late to watch that movie or those types of programmes without a thought to what I was doing the next day. Maybe we need TV training as part of our syllabus – parents and kids alike, so we can understand some of the consequences, the behaviours and get some support?
The training you suggest Simon is needed across every aspect our children’s and us as adults lives. I know that I am continually adjusting how I live, ie training myself. Learning that it is this, the willingness to constantly adjust, grow and change our behaviours is what we need to install in our lives. Then, possibly such things as being controlled by TV and certain programs would not in fact happen.
The intention behind a TV programme or a movie has nothing to do with the wellbeing of the viewer…. the only thought is to grab attention, get the hooks in, and hold onto it for as long as possible by whatever means possible. With the advent of CGI and scientific studies watching and measuring audience participation this has become so much more pre-meditated and the cocktail that is coming out the other end is pretty exhausting these days, never letting us enjoy a moment’s stillness and coming out supercharged on motion or emotion.
Leigh, what you write is quite shocking and how quick the effect on the child is!
I have observed this time and time again in my own children and others. There is far more going on than we wish to see for fear of exposing our own comforts.
Also, parents have shared with me that they put a movie on for their children to keep them quiet and to give the parents a break. It is like giving ourselves time-out but this then backfires when the children are not themselves after having screen time. This makes me question, how often are we using technology to babysit our children and what are the consequences?
There is much more for us to consider and be open to exploring about what we are really getting energetically from watching TV. Anything we allow in to our bodies has an impact, be it food or drinks, emotions, music and TV and it can either dull us or inspire. Why is it that we can become addicted to a TV show? What are we choosing and why and are we truly open to feeling the energetic effects these activities are have on our body and being and our families?
Carola Woods I can remember being addicted to a tv series, it seemed to me to be the thing that kept me going from week to week. Now with the understanding I have gained from Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I can look back at that period of my life and understand that the tv series was a distraction from loneliness and misery I was feeling at the time. TV shows are no different to reading books that we also use as an escape from a world we don’t feel we can cope with. Maybe the question we should be asking ourselves is why we don’t feel we can cope with life so we have invented thousands of different ways to distract ourselves.
It saddens me that many many people as I write will be sitting motionless in front of their TV’s some may have not got out for a while and some may find real life too scary so have carved a habitual habit of retreating behind the screen. Whatever the reason TV life is never ever any substitute for true connection and will always ultimately make us worse off.
Oh how I wish the world were also onto it – the common sense wisdom you share here! Behaviours in young people are becoming more and more erratic and with more mental health problems then ever before we really do need to look at the energy that comes out of TV screens.
Having a TV on in a room with young children is like inviting an unknown stranger into your home without discerning what energy they bring with them.
Yes, and letting them talk to the children unsupervised.
On a 7 hour flight recently I watched with interest some children in the row next to mine watching video after video, there was little interaction between them and all eyes were firmly stuck on the screen.
I am sure this is not uncommon but begs us to question how are we raising our young when we encourage such a blatant checking out of life.
Looking back over my childhood, I can see how much I took on from the books I read, the photos I saw and the movies I watched – I wanted to learn archery because the main character was an archer, wanted to learn how to live without modern technology because the main character lived in a future time when they didn’t have technology, wanting to learn how to be a witch and cast circles because it was in a series I was reading and seemed cool, when I wanted to look exactly like the actress who played one of my favourite characters, or the model for a clothing line I really liked – all these things might seem relatively harmless for the outside, but for me at the time these desires to be like what I was reading or seeing where quite consuming, and would change a lot of things about me like who I wanted to be, what I wanted to do and my views of the world. it just so happened that these things where not violent or harmful or abusive, but I could very much imagine that children who are exposed a lot to this on TV and through books from a young age, who are not supported to know who they are first, could be affected. It is more than just an action movie, it is more than just a war game, it is a statement of what is okay and what isn’t and children learn very young.
Well said Rebecca, how much do we mould our lives (or try to) to follow another, whether that be through watching TV, reading books, sports or even closer to home, our family and friends?
The TV does affect children and adults alike. I remember watching daytime TV and not wanting to go out or interact with anyone – totally withdrawn from life, and if we do that on a long-term basis the less interaction with real people is sought.
There are so many things that harm us as you have so clearly exposed and they can include screen and music – our lives would be very different if we brought more awareness and discernment to these things.
I agree with you Leigh, tv media is not broadcasted in an energy to support connection and unity. I have not watched tv in just under 5 years. I watched it recently for 15mins and felt how disconnected I’d become and felt I was in a fantasy land where my emotions ruled me. I was aware of how clear I normally felt and knew to surrender back to my feelings.
Well said, we have learnt to hold a great amount of tension in our bodies, tension that doesn’t leave us when we choose activities like watching TV or drinking an alcoholic beverage. It is just that such activities momentarily distract us from feeling it. At the end of the day we are still left with the unresolved tension in our bodies, that is until we truly and honestly discern what we become tense about and begin to address our choices and reactions to life.
When I was a big TV fan, if I am totally honest, TV was at best a relief at the end of the day from the demands of everyday life. It was a coping mechanism, just the same as having a glass of wine to relax. What I’ve discovered is that it’s far better to deal with the problem at the source and find a different way to approach life than to poison yourself at the end of the day.
A gret question to ask Steve, who is raising our children, and what is the energy running what the children connect to on these devices?
Not that many years ago, there were only a few TV channels, and they were not 24/7. Kids were sent to their rooms for punishment and not allowed to go outside. Today, their room is the window to the world with all of their electronic devices, so why leave. Who, is raising our children?
Leigh, I agree with what you are sharing here; ‘ feel deeply that many of the programmes that are aired on TV are not supportive of our families living together, with care and understanding for each other’, from what I can feel with children’s TV programmes there is very little that is supportive, many of the programmes feel dramatic and there seems to be little that is actually calming and leaves children feeling settled, it almost feels like TV is a torture from what I have observed with my son, he sits there feeling tense and often afterwards has stomach ache and sometimes he has nightmares about what he has seen.
This is truly scary as we have all generations; children, teens, adults, parents, grandparents, great grandparents all watching TV today, all being affected in the way you share your son is being affected. What, I ask does this then make our society to be? Dramatic, sick, low vitality, emotionally driven people? And the sad thing is, we think now that this is normal.
What I love about this is that you didn’t resent or judge the child but could observe what was happening, remained steady and were fully open and warm when he was ready to come back.
Parenting is super challenging, and sometimes the TV can seem like just the welcome break that is needed for everyone, I know I have experienced this but only to discover that it, the TV watching, has left us feeling even more exhausted or drained and was actually not the help I had hoped it would be… perhaps in feeling tired the real support is through genuinely reconnecting with eachother.
Even the title of this article is brilliant as it’s really asking us what energy do we allow in our lives without question. Watching TV is like playing with dynamite for me. I know I can let in some serious energy and be affected. A few years ago I binge watched a series and the next day felt really odd and rough – I felt smashed and it was no surprise that in the afternoon I’d had a car crash. A bit extreme you may say to make that link? Not to me. I knew something would be set in my path to show me what I was doing to myself.
TV stations even advertise ‘binge’ watching which is now an acceptable norm. But what’s also accepted as normal is the behaviour that is as a result of it, even if the correlation between the two is denied.
Brilliant connection Karin, they way TV affects us is not a known norm, therefore the behaviors it engenders are also not felt. It brings to mind how much time I spent berating myself for how I was living, but seemingly had no way of changing that. The less and less I watched TV, the clearer and more marked could I feel the affects in my body, demeanor and mood when ever I did, the clearer I became, the less I watched it, til I now live in a home without one.
I totally get how children are affected by the TV by the energy that comes through, and it has me pondering the mood changes that I have seen adults go through, including myself. Often after watching the box, I would be distracted by the story I had just seen, heard and felt to the point where I would feel withdrawn from life and more interested in the drama I had witnessed, while all the time is knowing that it was not true, but it would grip me anyway. Now if this happens on a daily basis, and it did for many years, it is easy to see how watching the TV can erode our health and sense of well-being, to the point of lethargy.
Yes, and like most things that erode our health, a part of us buys into it being something we enjoy like chocolate and alcohol. But if we ask our body what it wants and feels it wouldn’t choose any of this.
What this article reflects is surely true and yet it is endemic and the collective effect is being seen through out the world now
All too often we forget how sensitive we human beings are to the constant bombardment from world around us and how its intensity and stresses can put us off balance and result in emotional reactions that not only hurt ourselves, but have an equally harmful effect on others.
I agree, we are not equipped to understand the energetic reality in which we live, and just how it affects us everyday. This is a skill that we all need to reignite. I say reignite, because even though we do not feel equipped, we actually are, but to fully feel and discern this we must first begin with our love.
“We discussed that the energy that was coming through the programme that he was watching had affected him and that the way he was behaving just now was not really him. His Mum was relieved and she said that this sort of behaviour had happened before, but she had not understood what was going on ” Being able to discuss this with parents makes sense of these sudden outbursts and tantrums. Our quality in how we live and move about our day can make a huge difference to those around us. Knowing this information enabled me to make sense of the world and our behaviours within it.
“eyes constantly returned to the screen rather than engage with me and the connection between us.” How many of us live this way, either ourselves, or others in our family? I did for years never realizing just how truly harmful it was to not be engaged with and very present with my family. The TV and other screens literally rob us of the one thing we think they give us – connection.
I used to visit families in their homes in my work as a Health Visitor in the UK; visiting new mothers and babies in their homes The TV was often on and it wasn’t just children who were glued to the screen. Rarely was it turned off during my visit and eyes constantly returned to the screen rather than engage with me and the connection between us. TV screens can be very alluring and it is hard to have a conversation over the noise even if it is in the background.
“Our children are very sensitive beings and are affected by what is going on around them, all of the time. To experience the effect that a TV programme had on this young child brought home to me the very deep truth of this fact.” Thankyou for this Leigh. So many TV programmes are used as babysitters for children. I was guilty of this when my children were young – just to get the washing hung out or a meal prepared. However when they are older it seems so many now have TVs in their bedrooms – so it’s much harder to organise the off switch!
And if we begin to fathom the true extent of how much TV affects us and our behaviour, how profoundly harming is it to have one in our bedroom? The place in our home to which we go to rest, sleep and regenerate for the next day, instead becomes a place of stimulation that severely affects our natural cycle with the added effect of the imposing energy. Just what quality of human does that bring to the world the following day?
I agree Leigh and thank you for this great presentation. There is more to TV, and the scenario you have shared, than we are willing to acknowledge and that is most likely because we firstly need to be honest about what our purpose is behind wanting to watch TV in the first place. You only need to watch how ‘entranced’ children, and to be honest in my experience some adults also are when watching TV that nothing else exists, and being interrupted is often met with a certain degree of disdain. This does not support true connection, and it in fact solidifies separation and emotional engagement.
It is really interesting what comes through tv programs, videos, films, music video clips – what ever it is we are watching and do we stop and consider what we have invited into our homes? I know when I used to have a television in my home it would leave a certain type of energy in the home. I haven’t had one for many years now and it is the best thing ever.
‘ A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives, and a commitment to allowing us to be honest and to connect to how a programme leaves our family, and ourselves, feeling after watching it.’ This is true of more than just the TV. As my awareness and regard for myself grows so I am more discerning as to what I invite into my home when.
It shows we have a responsibility in all our movements. We are all sponges of what is around us and kids reflect back to us what they are picking up on. It was pretty clear to read the difference when the focus changed to it being all about relationships rather than watching TV.
This is a great example of the effects of TV, I have witnessed this in my own kids. I notice their ability to play themselves becomes restricted and communication with others becomes short and resistant. My home is far more harmonious since TV has left the building.
I love the question you pose here, is something we consider harmless really harmless? I used to love “resting” while watching a movie, but I found that I was always more tired after – which doesn’t make sense unless you consider that a.) everything is energy and everything effects us at all points in time and b.) movies and tv programs are designed to stimulate us and capture us and enthralling us. So what exactly are we letting into our homes, and of course our bodies? And what are the effects 1 hour or 1 day or 1 week later? We don’t often stop to consider that every single little thing we do has an effect on our lives, our homes and the people around us.
So true Meg, a moment of total abandonment in front of the TV or computer game, for example does let every thing that medium comes with into our bodies. As we are so unaware of the impact of this, the behaviors we exhibit are thought to be ours, but how much are they influenced by our choice to check out, opening our bodies to unwittingly absorb?
Absolutely – a much greater discernment and a much greater appreciation of the quality of our lives is needed when it comes to what we choose to do or not do.
The thing is… We are all affected by what these mediums are bringing into our houses and our societies… We are affected so much more then we could imagine even in our wildest conspiracy theory mindsets.
This is such a great blog. Just about every home has a tv now if not more than one and they really dominate our lives. The harm that these boxes or rather flat rectangles, do is enormous and yet we do not choose to see it much less do something about it. I love how you were able to stay steady with this child and not lose your centre and connection with love, for yourself, for his mum and for him. Holding him (metaphorically) as you did allowed him to come back to himself. The influence of TV is not just limited to children and many sensitive adults can be affected. When people are out of sorts it could well be to do with their previous TV watching and this can be accumulative so over time we can gather a lot of harmful energy from a seemingly innocent activity.
We just got rid o our TV and our lounge room feels much better for it. These sets are so imposing, even if we never turn ours on.
Yes, I agree with you Gabriele. The TV has a presence even when is turned off. This is the reason by what I don’t have one either, because that presence affects everything around it. When this is not in the room, the difference is really felt. It feels much lighter and spacious and I can have a sense of true freedom in there.
I haven’t watched tv in a while but on a recent visit to my parents house they had the tv on and it was really amazing to see how intense the programs were particularly the amount of reality tv shows and how they try to hook you in with the drama or different scenario’s to keep the viewers locked into their seats.
Watching tv now drains me instantly and makes me feel really out of sorts. Asking people how they feel while watching tv is a great way to bring a deeper understanding to energy and how it affects us and shows the adverse affects tv has on the world and how gripping the energy can be, if we allow it to be so.
Yes, much that is offered on TV is geared to hook viewers into watching more and more of it. I can remember as a child there were starting times and closing times for TV viewing. There is much to be said for lesser technology as then there was less of an impact upon us all.
It’s really important what you mentioned about children being super sensitive, because nowadays a lot of parents find phone/computer games, TVs and iPads a great way to keep their kids occupied, but this can have a huge affect on them depending on what the content of this entertainment is and we still have a responsibility to look after them, and decide what they’re going to receive from technology.
Yes we do have a responsibility, one though that we can’t bring to our children, if we haven’t brought it to ourselves. When my children were little, I had quite an addiction with TV and never thought that this was a problem. Nowadays there are so many screens that we spend such little time away from them, that we can feel numb to their effects. Yet we all know how imposing these screens are, as when we have moments, such as blackouts, where families often come together and play games and cards etc, we feel how lovely it is to not have the TV or computer blaring in the background. Here is where the responsibility steps in, we either begin to limit our screen time and enjoy the company of others, or we ignore the feeling of connection and continue our unlimited use of screens. Our children learn from the model we present.
You may not have watched TV for a while… it is extremely educational to take a short visit into what millions of people are doing for entertainment… the intensity that is needed to keep people’s attention, and the drama and competition that is brought to the simplest of domestic activities.
I worked in a psychiatric hospital once and quite a few of the schizophrenic patients were convinced things were coming at them through the TV. I often found the comments and observations of the patients more sane that the rest of the world, it was just that they couldn’t function as they didn’t know how to handle what they were picking up and then lost it.
When we make the choice to stop and feel what has just occured or come into us (watching a certain TV show, eating a certain food etc.) and feeling how it leaves us is hugely empowering. As everything in life goes around in one big circle we recognise the messages in the body when it senses something is coming back around. We get the chance to say to ourselves “do I wish to repeat that knowing how I will feel afterwards?”.
And since nothing is new, we do go around in circles what if we already know how something will make us feel? Thus we can ask “How do I feel to be with what is coming?”
The TV has become so ingrained in our society that we fail to see the harm which is right under our noses – I know when my children were little the signs were there but I did not realise that the TV was contributing to their ill behaviour. It is also easy to let things go when everyone is doing something and it never gets questioned.
This needs to be discussed so much more, the games our children are exposed to today are very harming and as you have observed, behaviour manipulating. Our children need true, constant support and presence from the adults in their lives, yet the tiredness and exhaustion we mostly live with makes this requirement in parenting a rare occurrence. Our responsibility as parents or carers of children is to again care deeply for the bodies in which we live, so we have the presence of mind and physical ability to be there with our children as they negotiate the myriad of impactful energy that is constantly coming at them.
Leigh, you have presented some real gold here, as it is only until we walk the talk in connection with our hearts that we can access divine wisdom for the good of all. Thank you.
I love having a life without a TV in our home, but for a long time I have witnessed the pressure this places on to the children at school, how isolated and left out they can feel, not knowing what is going on in popular culture etc. In this experience I have come to learn the value of being a part of the world and not to shut it out, and to expose children to all that the world is so that they may know it thoroughly.
A true citizen of the world therefore is a person who is aware and not secluded and protected, but rather who is out there and in amongst life as it is – with no perfection in sight. TV is a drain and I would not have it back again, but equally I appreciate what the internet brings so that we as a family are with everyone else and not fighting against the general tide but simply choosing a different way.
There is a big and silent cost to using TV as a babysitter, which most of us are unaware of until it becomes extreme. For the short-term benefit of silence and time to get on with ‘parent stuff’, we are allowing the energy of the TV show to fill up our kids and home. This we then have to deal with, along with the fact that we have brought up adults who like to check out in life.
That is the real issue, we have many children and adults alike who know nothing else but to use some form of entertainment or recreation to check out on life, leaving many things unresolved and living in a tension that is so great that our only option seems to be to check out. But there is always the choice to face and deal with those unresolved things, the hurts and doubts that hold us trapped in more of the same.
In a recent conversation with a young man whom I have known for many years, he expressed his frustration at no longer being “able to draw”, which was something very dear and close to his heart. During our conversation it became apparent that there was a point in his life where he chose the entertainment and the distraction of the TV screen over the expression of his inner-heart, a choice which has left him now feeling lost and frustrated. There was at first some reaction from me, as I felt so sad that the adults in his life could have let this happen, but then I came to realise that this is one of the greatest gifts the adults in his life could have given to him – the opportunity to experience the results of his choices, as hard and painful as they are, because in this way he will truly learn.
Could this be the greatest support we can offer another? To hold, guide and support, always, but also allow another the space to feel the consequences of their own choices.
Yeah, I reckon it is…
I don’t watch many tv programs these days, but the other weekend, I was relaxing and felt to watch something on my computer. I didn’t really feel an effect from it as I was watching, but that night I had the most horrendous dreams, I woke up in the middle of it all and it just felt so foreign for me to have had these dreams. I immediately knew it was from the tv show I’d watched. I am going to be even more vigilant as to what I choose to watch from here on in.
What you share Regan is definitely a stop moment because what you are saying is that when we allow energy into our body, it is there and can affect us for hours, weeks, months, years after the original experience. This is not just that from TV, but from all our interactions, experiences, fears, doubts, excitements etc.
Knowing this gives us the grace to begin to understand our body and how it works and especially to feel how super sensitive it is.
It feels so important to ask what exactly is TV bringing in to our homes, and to observe this taking place. The tricky part, as I have discovered is to not react and become upset by what is seen, but to remain in observation of it and to respond accordingly. This takes time and patience and love, but it is possible just like we have seen here in this blog. TV need not be the master and commander of the house, and we can be with each other without it’s influence.
Leigh, I can really relate to what you are sharing here, ‘Our children are very sensitive beings and are affected by what is going on around them, all of the time.’ I do not have a TV at home but sometimes my son will watch a film or program at school or at a friends, often he finds what he has watched scary and will have nightmares about what is in the film, even if the film is considered by others to not be scary, it affects him a lot for 2 or 3 days. As you say Leigh, children are very sensitive, I once took my son to the cinema and he watched a film for an hour, he was scared and sat on my lap feeling very tense and afterwards had some really awful dreams, it actually felt cruel to put him through this, it did not seem like a fun thing to do and instead felt very harmful, it felt like the music, sounds and pictures were literally being blasted at him, in an assaulting way.
Tiredness and tv are a recipe for turning any child into a monster. Serious discernment is needed when choosing what is good to watch or not for kids and adults, as the energy that can come through can be horrendous. I remember watching a certain amount of tv when I was a child and I can’t remember it affecting us then like it seems to affect children now. I wonder if the energy in the programs now is even more sinister than it used to be.
I do believe that it is Kevin, just the plain volume of what is available for children’s Television viewing now is one hundred fold of what was available when we were children. This in itself means that there is going to be more energy in some programs, as there is the reality of having to ‘compete’ for screen time and ratings. The whole system of Television is greatly flawed.
Working with children in community care I often see what transpires in the home life when children have come to these care facilities with a morning session of screen time. The behaviours of the children are very different from the morning till the end of the day. What is interesting to note is what they have been watching is often been played out in the group play times and leaves them quite confused as to the consequences they receive.
It does make me ponder on what is harming these children when they are attached to the screen and what messages come through that affect their behaviour that is far from a child’s natural state of being.
Yes, it is very scary Natallija. What your comment brings to my mind is how easy it is to absorb what is surrounding us, be this a TV program, the emotions of another, the lack of love and care in a building. But how much do we realise that we are absorbing such energies? I know that it is still something that I am adjusting to and bringing understanding to. To se it so blatantly in children is actually a wake up call to all of us to begin to observe just where and how in our lives the same thing happens to each of us, adults and children alike.
TV is no different than consuming sugar, alcohol or salt. It distracts us from feeling our own day and then supports us in not dealing with the events in our day. We numb ourselves from what we are feeling and we stare into the TV. I recall as child staring into the TV, no one could talk to me, I couldn’t hear a word, I was completely mesmerised. I can still be easily caught up in TV if it’s on. It’s a complete distraction.
We are a world addicted to images, fed to us on billboards, in magazines, through TV etc. and for the most part we subconsciously absorb all of these without once discerning the quality of energy in which they were produced and thus the effect that these images may be having on us. Nor do we contemplate that a steady bombardment of these images in this way is seeding a deeper set of images to be created within our minds that then have an effect on the way we think, move, speak, act. When saturated in all this, it is very difficult to live the love that we are – quite the set-up.
It is so so easy with our busy and full lives to let technology be our babysitter of our kids and keep them contained with the seeming fun and pleasure it offers them. But if our problems in the world today are stemming from people in general not choosing to be responsible for how they live then what are we showing our kids by opting for the “easy” way of parenting instead of giving them our full love and attention they deserve?
Thank you for sharing Leigh and it is fascinating to hear the direct effects of TV. Yes – children are super sensitive and we have a responsibility to honour this as adults. What comes through the TV is energy at the end of the day, and wow it sure does have an effect. It is great you were able to have this conversation and for that child to know that everything they do has an effect and to be aware of this all the time.
It is totally understandable why a youngster’s behaviour would change when we consider what energy is coming through the supposedly innocent TV screen. I had an addiction to watching the TV and movies, but mostly rubbish TV where you can check out for hours watching nothing very interesting, and then it was brought home to me how much time I was wasting and that there were more important things to be getting on with. Since quitting the TV watching I now find I have the space to finish everything that was incomplete, study, clean up, more time with my family, and what really stands out is how draining of my energy the TV was, and how drugged up I was without realising it.
With TV and computers quickly becoming the new parent, we don’t stop to consider how these programs affect our kids. It’s great that you have brought awareness of it through this blog and have opened this up for discussion.
It has become more and more apparent to me that what I get when I watch TV is not just an hour or so of mindless entertainment, but often a change in my mood, a change in the energy in my body. A couple of months ago I was watching a movie and I felt unsettled, it felt loud and was making my body stiff and restless sitting there. I could feel a deep unease watching it but soldiered on to the end. Over the next few days I felt the effects of this, I slept badly and was less easy in my days. It was like I had been infected with a virus. A TV virus! Now I certainly feel that not all TV is equally this strong, but I did feel how important it is to discern if watching something is going to be good for me, and what the energy on screen is bringing into my home, my body and my life. Each moment is a change to bring awareness to what is coming next, and making choices that leave our bodies in a full state of health.
This makes so much sense and reminds me of how one of my daughters would get very upset if we played a popular rock song at the time, and her mood would change considerably to the point where we had to stop playing it – so now it makes me wonder what she was picking up on, and that not all bad behaviour is down to the children being tired.
Recently there was a group of children that were offered to watch a children’s movie as part of a themed day and the children were encouraged to dress as one of the characters. What I observed with the children after was that the children were either very sluggish and almost in a daze, or really hypo and silly after. As a bystander and not a participant I got to see the affects of a choice made that was not truly supporting or educating children in any way, but seemingly offering a feel good time that was actually harming and numbing.
I was recently asked to babysit a few friends children while they attended a family wedding. Four children from 3 different homes in the one house. It was interesting how each child had a different relationship with how they used this time. Some raced to watch the TV, others were looking for entertainment using other media sources and others were engaging with play opportunities with outdoor equipment and toys. When the TV and other media was not given as an option for the day, the behaviour was quick to change. An example like many of the responsibilities we have as care- givers in the home.
If there was no such thing as TV how different would our spare time be? It might be tough for a few days or weeks, but after a while, would we simply learn to enjoy our own and others company?
Leigh you raise a great point here about the energy tv brings into our homes and how people are affected by it. It was lovely to read how you were aware of what was happening and dealt with the situation. Too many people are oblivious of what comes from watching tv, and giving parents the opportunity to see and feel it for themselves gives them a greater understanding.
I have experienced this sort of behaviour with children when I turned the TV off because I felt that it had totally sucked them in. It was just like it might be if I had taken something very precious away from them and they all went a bit mad. What comes through the TV if we let it never fails to astound me. I know for myself if I come home from work tired and flop down in front of the TV, I am drained far more than if I stay active in my wind-down to bed.
As we bring more love into our lives all that is not love stands out even more. Here is where we are offered the responsibility of staying with the love we know, and observing deeply what is happening and contributing as best we can to hold steady and let what and who are around us come back to that love, if they so choose. Being firm in these instances is usually a requirement as the resistance we meet can be very strong.
Until we understand that energy is everything and that energy is in everything we will be at the whim and sway of manipulative media.
I do not watch much tv at all these days, but only recently watched something on my computer before getting into bed. It had been some reality tv show, one that I had watched before, but not quite that late. As I got into bed to go to sleep, I just could not. I was really racy and could not settle my mind. I was so surprised at how much this show had impacted me, which got me thinking about all the times I have watched tv, but been numb to the impacts, it is just that I don’t watch it very often that I could really feel its impacts and boy did it feel imposing.
Well said Reagan,
Whilst TV is a regular part of life, the truth of what it delivers is not registered, it is however felt and impacts on how we live our every day lives. As I write this, tears are flowing from my eyes. It is absolutely atrocious that we as a humanity have allowed ourselves to become so numb that we cannot feel the impacts of things around us.
I used to spend hours watching TV, but after some time studying with Universal Medicine and learning to be connected to my body and how I feel I started to notice how TV left me. If there was suspense or danger my body would be going through the physiological symptoms as if I was actually in danger, and I often felt disconnected to myself. I felt like I would leave myself, my body and my inner connection by being absorbed in a show. The Gentle Breath Meditation was the foundation for my connection and it felt so beautiful to be with myself. In contrast the vacant space feeling TV gave me made letting go of TV was really easy. I had me back and no show was ever going to equal that.
Although this article focuses on children watching TV and the effects of this, I would reckon this is something that many adults have experienced in just as damaging a way. Recently I watched a movie on tv and I could tell while watching it what a waste of time it was. The ripple effect of watching this was how flat and lethargic I felt the next day. Whether we admit it or not, what we watch has a big effect on how we feel. The difference with a young child is that they don’t try to bottle up the emotional response, they just let out all the stuff that the TV show has brought in.
This story shows how a small child enjoys and feels the connection when sharing a book or puzzle with someone rather than absorbing the energy that can come from watching TV or video games.
I know children as young as 6 who watch MTV in their spare time because this what there parents want to watch, to me this horrifying as I can see what effects this energy has on them. Most of the music videos played these days are very sexually explicit. What are we telling children with these messages? That this kind of sexuality and promiscuity is ok.?This is so not right.
This is such an important question, we need to start asking what are we bringing into our homes with the TV we consume. I know I can feel really negative after watching something. TV is actually really imposing and can be quite brutal in its delivery. Do we really want our children subjected to energy that once they absorb changes them as people? I don’t think so and thats why it is so important this question is asked now.
My 6 year old grandson has a tablet that he plays games on. We notice that his mood changes when he plays on it for too long. Zooming out to a wider view, I see how I can get drawn in and distracted by things on my computer and will often spend much longer on it than planned. Walking home last night, 95% of the people I passed were looking at their phones, even while crossing the roads. What children are doing is a reflection of what we are all doing.
This a is a superb example of what TV and gaming can do, and it makes you wonder what the quality of the relationships are within our households really is, especially as the TV is such a huge focal point in our homes. I know from my own experience I find that the TV makes me feel anti-social and withdrawn, so it is no surprise to me to read of this 6 year old acting in this way.
Oh how I wish the world could read this article, it is relevant to every family who has a TV /gaming device. I know I have noticed it with those close to me a huge reliance on video games and stimulating entertainment such as music and movies, this disturbs me as coming out of these addictive behaviours can be just as hard as coming off hard drugs.
Such a great blog Leigh, I have only just recently had an experience where I chose to watch a few episodes of a reality tv show one evening. I thought that it would be ok, it was quite light and not too contentious in any way. But when I went to go to sleep, I felt like my nervous system was in overdrive and I could not drop off to sleep. I didn’t really fully realise what energy was coming from the episodes I was watching. I will be so much more vigilant in the future.
My children and I have recently been discussing what it would be like if there were to be another world war. Because the world is so different now, with many children and young adults spending much of their time engaged with a TV or computer screen of some kind, we were wondering how a new war would take place, and how, as a modern humanity, we would cope. It all brought me back to love in the home, and realising that this is what any one person brings with them wherever they go, even if it is to war. Technology is here and it is in our homes, so maybe there is great work to be done in ensuring that whatever it brings, the love that is felt between people is not compromised. And maybe this is our greatest defence against war itself.
Great sharing of how by meeting our children with love, understanding and non-judgment we offer them an opportunity and a support to be truly who they are.
I felt this urge to turn on the tv. I was tired and just wanted to zone out and watch the lives of other people, to get lost in their dramas. I wanted the stimulation of the viewing so that I could not feel how my body was feeling, so that I did not have to take responsibility for what I had chosen which brought me to that point. Saying no to this urge in that moment however has taught me about energy, and how we have the choice of what we can choose to put our energy in to. A great lesson in life.
I love what happens when we are able to observe. So much becomes evident and then it makes it easier for us to bring understanding to a situation.
It seems that television brings what is like another person (or people) into our homes. They then are a new factor in how our home feels and what is now the predominant feeling in the house.
When I used to play video games for 10+ hours a day I used to consider it normal to be moody and depressed. As I started to cut down I noticed how my mood did change during and after gaming. The same when I would feel intense anger while watching certain youtube channels or even today having recently joined Instagram I have noticed certain behaviours creeping in. These screens and what comes from them is directly affecting our lives and our relationships with ourselves and towards other people. And yet this factor is glossed over and ignored. We have more distractions from connecting to each other than ever before because we have more ‘social media connections’ than ever before and have considered such low quality of human interrelation as acceptable. None of these compare to human connection to ourselves and to each other as this blog clearly shares as the little boy calmed once spending time with his mum.
It is interesting how often I visit a friend’s homes and hear the TV in the background even though no one is in the room. It makes me wonder whether TV has become part of our family unit, an addition that is constantly there as a form of entertainment that prevents us from sitting or being with another at any given time in the day.
Dear Natallija,
In my experience the most insidious thing about TV is that I used it for ‘company’ when I was alone in the house. But what this was in truth was the most effective way of not being with myself. This living in constant disconnection to myself then rolled on to not connecting with others. Hence the TV was going constantly in my home during those years.
“Watching TV is now considered one of those normal things that both adults and children participate in every day. ” It is so normal we cannot see how deeply distracting, numbing and de-energising it is, just to name a few of it’s insidious effects.
I have definitely checked out to TV and paid the price of having its energy running around my system – I’ve dreamt about programmes I’ve watched, started thinking about them during the day and these thoughts and emotions attached to the programme have kept returning. We may think we turn the TV off and that’s it but I know, because I’ve turned on the TV to be entertained/ distracted from being present in my life, I have consumed the energy it’s emitted which remains long after the TV has been switched off.
This is a great example of how TV and other outside influences can affect us all. It is our responsibility not to give ourselves away to the energy of a TV show by staying consciously present with ourselves.
‘Watching TV is now considered one of those normal things that both adults and children participate in every day.’ And yet this does not have to be so, we can break the habit. Living life without TV as a constant or necessary part of my life, opened up a new me: energy levels rose, I was more present with myself, had space for me, whereas before I was filled with information and over emotional content that was not true and did not support my well-being. I can now see how watching TV deadens and drains our life-force.
TV will one day be exposed for what it is – a porthole for abusive energy to come through. Obviously not everything we see on TV is harmful but I would say a lot of it is. This is imposition is not seen by most but it is there all the same imposing and manipulating the viewer.
TV is fascinating for me – so many times I have watched something and asked myself what did I actually learn or get from that. Quite often nothing that actually has benefited me in anyway! Sure I got a moment of check out from life but then I walk around with less love and so everyone gets a lesser version of me. It is crazy really how much we at times value check out moments over love in our bodies – when love is what we all deeply crave.
Thank you Leigh for sharing this at it highlights how important it is to observe what it is we are choosing to engage in, in our everyday lives. It’s great to be aware of the fact that in every moment we have a choice to connect or disconnect to Love, to ‘say’ yes to evolution or ‘yes’ to involution. When we disconnect and say ‘no’ to evolution we then are saying ‘yes’ to anything that is not of Love to move us and be part of our lives in that moment. This is what we then share with those around us. There are many things in the world that are on offer that are not of Love and it is our responsibility to be open and willing to observe, learn and discern what it is we are choosing and the effects it is having on our bodies and each other.
Great subject to bring up Leigh, I too have seen my daughters behaviour change dramatically when watching certain programmes and literally being glued to the set. Turning it off or even pausing it for dinner often ends up in her being banned from it for a number of days because of the tantrum she throes. The energy behind some of these shows that children watch is appalling and very hard to watch if you’ve ever checked them out.
Agree Kevin McHardy,
What is going on in our world that children’s TV shows are such that invokes addictive behavior in ones so young? There is much to question here as to how, if left unsupervised and with out energetic guidance that our children are essentially handed over to be addicted first to TV, then who knows what else once such behavior is a way of living.
I too have noticed how my kids have changed after watching tv. On occasions I’ve used tv as a babysitter to get things done or to have a bit of a ‘break’, but looking at it now, if I need a break then what is it saying about the quality of the way I have been living up until this point.
It is beautiful that from developing your own self love that you have been able to love others more deeply and from this be aware of how this love can be disrupted by things such as television and act accordingly.
This is a first class example of how the TV programs can affect all of us, and how insidious the energy from the programs can be. This is where most of us are fooled into thinking the programs are harmless or just bit of fun, but how often do we watch say a well known talent show and find ourselves getting far too involved in the participants lives – gone are the days when I watch such things because always I would feel disturbed afterwards, or the songs would be playing out in my head.
When we are with ourselves we can better discern what energy is coming at us, the more I am present with myself the more obvious it is how harming many TV programmes are.
I can attest to a marked change in my relationship with television, since becoming a student of The Way of The Livingness Leigh. I used to use it to get relief at the end of a day, switch off, disappear in other worlds, other people’s lives… Today, I still watch certain programs, but gone is the need to disappear in a movie or fill in the evening with ‘the box’ and whatever may be on it. I have never said ‘no’ to television, but rather, have found that my discernment and indeed need for it has changed markedly, as I’ve come to feel more vital, purposeful and joyful in my everyday living. The changes that have gone on within have most definitely had quite an impact on the need for such stimulation from without. And with this, my eyes have opened far more widely to just what can be contained within any TV program.
There are so many elements to ‘modern life’ that we have readily accepted as ‘normal’ to include in everyday activity. Television is definitely one of them. You’ve raised some worthy questions here Leigh, that ask us to discern – and be truly willing to discern just what we’re inviting into our homes. Thank-you.
I recently watched a movie and when I came out of the cinema, I could feel that I wanted to go and eat things that I wouldn’t ordinarily eat. I was able to feel that the type of movie that I had seen had really affected me energetically, I was now after the movie wanting to numb myself, from what I had just taken on during the movie. I actually in this example did to act on the pull to go and eat junk food, but celebrated my awareness and that I choose to be loving instead.
I used to go to the movies often Raegan, never discerning or considering just how much they affected my mood and thought processes. But they always did. I can remember thinking about a movie constantly for weeks after seeing it. I also remember one movie in particular, where after watching it I was so taken by it that when driving home, I missed turning of the highway towards home. It really is very telling how much we loose ourselves when viewing movies and watching TV.
This is interesting Leigh. Great questions. I have had similar experiences with children and TV and also with myself and TV..
It is a horrible feeling when you are watching something, you don’t even really want to watch but somehow you are stuck there in front of the TV too drained to move to switch it off or even to change channels. Almost like being hypnotized. Thankfully I no longer watch television, I put it away and life is so much simpler and enjoyable without it.
I always remember the beauty of the silence when my father switched off the TV. It used to be on for hours in our house, and it felt like a relentless force that was present with us nearly all the time. I always felt that it got in the way of the connection we could otherwise have with each other. It took all of everyone’s attention and robbed us of true family time. TV really is a huge presence in the house that is a massive distraction, and leads to dissatisfaction within families.
Since first reading this blog I have noticed how we go to the TV as a family for respite from a busy period of time. But what the TV offers us is not actually respite at all, but just further stimulation that takes us further away from being able to feel or be aware of our bodies. So what help or support does this offer us at all?
Therefore I have come to choose much more wisely the times when we do watch TV, placing it amongst activity that will equally support us to stay in touch with ourselves and not numb out so completely, although this is still a work in progress.
Thank you Leigh for a very thought provoking and revealing blog on the reality of the affect that TV can have on our lives. How many of us plonk our kids down in front of the tv for a bit of peace and quiet (I know I did) and then get cross when they become agitated, excited or do things that are ‘out of character’. Once I realised that everything is energy, through the presentations of Universal Medicine I can now take responsibility and be more discerning, not only about watching tv, but in whatever form of entertainment or activity I choose to partake
TV in itself is sending out messages energetically – as in every TV show there are ideas, beliefs, ways of how people related, all to affect the viewer. We are all susceptible but particularly our children who are very open and they soak this up like a sponge. They do not understand, they are processing all this both information and the energetic aspect into their bodies. If they are already tired, this is like serving them with a sugar overdose, it actually very possibly activates their nervous system even more and then we have a child who is affected and changes their behaviours. Where as if our children were given the space to just feel their tiredness, or boredom and so forth then they begin to learn to self regulate, to care for themselves…but if they sit in front of the TV, they just get distracted and bombarded. Is it any different for us adults, we too are sensitive beings?
I can relate to TV activating our nervous system Karoline, I can remember going to bed after watching TV unable to sleep with an over active mind and a body that felt wired and tense. When I consider how many people do this regularly, I am completely rocked to the core that something that affects the body so much is deemed as a normal activity in life. It was not until I began to consider that I had a stillness inside that was my true nature that I stopped to feel my body and discern the things that elevated it away from my innate stillness. TV did this.
Once upon a time I thought nothing of watching some TV. With a growing awareness of energy I now know that a choice like this can affect my whole week. If something is watched as a way to check out or to find some relief then I am leaving myself open. This is no different to going out and leaving my car with the doors wide open in a public place. Anyone can get into the drivers seat and do what they want with our vehicle.
So true Vicky,
I am very quickly learning the effects of ‘leaving myself open’ and like you share, if I choose to check out or turn off, energy enters that is not from my essence and it does play havoc with my body, and my thought processes.
The energy coming through TV, or music has a profound effect on everyone. Kids are very sensitive to it. It is like the energy traps them and get them in a dimension that is not ours. They become unreachable, emotional, detached from their own body.
I do know my kids inside out so when they act in a way that is not them it is my responsibility as a parent to discern what is going on. This I am stepping up to, the more I take care of myself. I am less tired in the evenings due to making self-loving changes in my days so that I can bring more awareness, more love to raising my children.
We can tend to think that the tele is a harmless basic house hold necessity, and sure enough most houses have one. All the different ways of how you can watch tv is incredible and if you look back 10 years ago and what was available then. It is so easy to get caught up in what we are watching that we don’t stop to consider the energy that the program you are watching is having on the people watching it and the household in general. When we make it about the energy it brings a lot to understanding to the way we can react and change from what is coming through. So it makes complete sense to check and feel each time.
I have watched the house transform with a timed TV time. A few months ago because of a number of reason we decided not just to allow the children to go to the TV room. This is not the whole story but just the part that relates here but the short story is less TV has allowed more time to play together on other things, like drawing, reading and more outdoor fun. I have noticed the difference in their attitude towards each other and this has allowed for more of a harmonious household. TV has a huge impact on how we are and what I have seen first hand is testament to this and naturally the TV now doesn’t play a major role in our house and we are all better off for it.
Dear Ray,
Thank you for sharing your families choice to limit TV time, the difference in your family as a whole from making this choice is a beacon to others who may be considering doing the same. I love your approach to this and the harmony you now experience in your home.
It is really great that we have this awareness of watching TV and the consequences, I personally was never much of a TV fan, I liked watching films, and the same applies to them, what energy do they come with and how does that impact on us afterwards? A level of discernment and honesty is definitely needed, being aware of how we are left feeling after watching a film.
I was watching a movie the other day and couldn’t help but notice how the images made me feel – as if they were trying to hook me in and take me on a journey from start to finish. This has more of a profound effect than many may realise. Everything is energy and thus the flow of energy in this film is communicating that life is a certain way – introduction, conflict, resolution, but is this lineal way working?
Good point Harrison, could such scenarios delivered constantly through TV have pushed society to be in the continuing mode of looking for resolution? Trying to solve the dilemma’s in our lives rather than responsibly looking at the way we conduct life and honestly considering that resolution is not it, but that responsibility, understanding and a return to our grace could be a way of living that brings a steadiness to life.
our lives are about constant connection and that is what we are always offered through people, TV is all about disconnection!
This article exposes something huge that is going on in most homes everyday. So much that is considered ‘normal’ behaviour because of the absorption of energy from outside influences would be seen for the extreme behaviour it is. Because this discussion isn’t usual parents are often at a loss as to what is causing these emotional outbursts. Often there are many other contributing factors like food and school stresses that can cloud the issue. Until meeting Serge Benhayon I would never know life could be harmonious. Though I don’t live harmony 24/7 I know it is always there to choose and that it is me who opts out of living it.
Leigh, i’m becoming aware of the impact of TV and radio on my body. Recently, I lost the impulse to watch TV, or listen to radio. knowing deep down it offered me little and left me feeling drained. I love how my body feels without the energetic influences of TV and do not want anything to pollute or jeopardise the feeling I have.
Wow! This blog took me back to my childhood and how I was totally lost and uncontrollable when it came to trying to pry me away from in-front of a TV. This to me now relates to how I am in many situations where I do not get my way! Looking into this dilemma has brought about a deep level of healing for me! So thank you Leigh for your bog!
As we develop and deepen our connection with ourselves so to do we with others, developing a relationship with ourselves is a commitment which takes time and space. Who needs TV, movies and other entertainment when we can en-joy our own company and the company of others?
I like what you share Samantha, enjoying the company of others is an art that we do less and less. As a child in the small town I lived in there were dances once a month where the community met and enjoyed each other. As I lived my life this dwindled down to a couple a year, then to one a year to none. This is a small example of how we have stepped away from spending time with others. I do believe TV has its place in this reality. Seemingly it is easier to park for an hour or two in front of it than it is to connect with family and friends and enjoy a meal or social outing together.
It is important to understand that everything is energy and that everything is because of energy (SB) and that any programme that comes through the TV comes with an energy too. The effect TV has on humanity is huge and perhaps beyond our imagination, unless we except the above fact in full. Have we ever questioned for instance the news programmes on TV, that what they bring is to truly serve humanity and in that bring love into our homes or are they driven by the business of society and only bring news to excite us and in turn brings them the best commercial benefits? We have to become more discerning with what we bring into our homes when turning on the TV and start to include the energetic part of it too.
Well said Nico. We do need to be a lot more discerning as to what we allow in our homes and that includes the t.v. Simply questioning and discussing the energy coming through the t.v, iPad or any other means of technology is a great start.
TV and the effect of it and what it is bringing into our homes is huge, often negative beyond words and not something that belongs to our natural essence and way of being if we are honest and see what is really going on. It can come with an opposing force on us of what is not and we may passively take on the negativity and lovelessness and bring this into our lives and our bodies; and this is happening at a younger and younger age and it seems as if TV is taking over society and the way we live all over the world. A great blog and sharing, bringing much needed attention to this.
Being connected allows us to discern the energy of TV or social media etcetera, and from there discern do ‘they’ help us build or loose our connection? Many of us use or have used TV and, or social media just as a means to numb out without really understanding the full consequences of this.
The very way you begin this blog Leigh shows the way you hold other human beings to be delicate, extremely precious and close to your heart. No wonder such a situation as you describe with the TV would hurt us when we care so much. How beautiful and freeing then to see that this harshness is not actually us. To distinguish energy from who we truly are, allows us to connect and remember the absolute divinity each of us has underneath the often agressive and shouty outer.
What’s TV bringing into our homes? Well mostly it’s bringing something that distracts us from the truth. It numbs us, dis-connects us, stupefies us, dulls us (even when it excites us), it lies to us, it leads us astray and it separates us from ourselves. Yes there are some programs that educate us and open our eyes to things but the crucial question that needs to be asked of anything that we see on the telly is ‘was it made by people who are connected to themselves and therefore with the intention of supporting others to re-connect’? Because if not, then it is ultimately harmful.
Much discernment is required if you or your children watch TV, ‘Our children are very sensitive beings and are affected by what is going on around them, all of the time. To experience the effect that a TV programme had on this young child brought home to me the very deep truth of this fact.’
SUPER important Leigh – you bring up that which many people were wondering.. not only in their kids but basically in everyone. To feel and see the effects that the energy through Television has on us , and that it can be an open channel where we pick energy up and let it ruin us and harm the enviroment.. like this example. So to becoming aware of this fact is super important. And brings understanding to our daily activities. Like watching TV, which almost everyone does.
The experience described here of how the child reacted to the TV being switched off is very familiar to both myself and many other parents who I know. But what strikes me as slightly odd, is the fact that TV did not always exist, it is a relatively new invention which has skyrocketed in its advancements for the entertainment industry especially in the last decade or so. So, my question is – why did we not stop the escalation of the force of TV in our homes when we as a global humanity first saw our children become influenced by it?
It is easy for one or two people to say, oh I don’t watch it. But what about everyone else? Surely no one should be under its influence, especially when we can clearly see, and all parents do see it, how aggressive and abusive children can be after watching certain programs?
What I see Shami, is children are not limited with TV or other screen time as so many of us run our lives in already high levels of stress and tension, that seemingly there is not the time to simply spend with them, enjoying the beautiful people they are. Another thing that happens is that adults want their time out from this lifestyle, so they actually do the same. It really has become quite a harmful marry go round.
A great example of the effects TV can unknowingly have on children or adults, and I love how you handled the situation Leigh, ‘What Serge has shown me is that love of myself is needed first and foremost. I have now come to understand that this love, once chosen, simply expands to having a deep love for others in my life. It was through this feeling of love within that I was able to see the effect that the TV programme was having on this young child and it was the deep love that I felt for him that prompted me to take the action I did.’
So many of us use TV as a babysitting device – I can certainly say that I have done so myself! But the repercussion are ones that are never that fun to deal with, as the disconnection and the rudeness and the absentee look is forthcoming from much screen time. It is well worth using our imagination and creative flares to think of other ways to have our children ‘entertained’ – but even this word of ‘entertainment’ does not do justice to the beautiful people that are our children – for what do they need entertainment from? Instead it should be about the celebration of who we are and how much fun we can have together. And so it asks us to look more deeply at our lives and how we live with each other and really honestly do an appraisal of our relationship with self and with others.
In the past I was aware just how often I would fall asleep in front of the tv. It was always a confirmation that it was not right waking up to the noise blasting to the point of shocking me. The funny thing was it was the same level of sound I had been listening to before I’d fallen asleep. I was the same in the morning. I could not turn the tv on. It was too intense being it cartoons, music shows or coffee injected morning show hosts hyping you up with their humour. I became aware every time I did turn the tv on it was for my own emotional release which was not truly supporting me to stay connected to my feelings.
This makes so much sense. If a child comes over with a gash in their knee, I would imagine a lot of questions would be asked about what has transpired before that had lead to this. And if it keeps happening a greater focus to finding out the source of the problem and resolving it. Somehow we have become divorced from the same level of attention when the issue is not physical. For example if a child keeps losing it and displaying tantrums whilst we know that is not their usual behaviour, that situation seems to me like a bleeding knee. It deserves just as much attention and support for the child to resolve the situation that is harming them. We would then be a lot more sensitive, wise and discerning around our use of TV, games, music and websites for starters.
Imagine if every TV program came with this warning before hand, the way cigarettes do: ‘A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives, and a commitment to allowing us to be honest and to connect to how a programme leaves our family, and ourselves, feeling after watching it.’ That would be seriously cool.
Leigh it’s interesting how we put things down to “being tired” without looking at the fact there could be another reason. We know that people change based on the environment they are in, what is going on, what food they eat, what they drink etc. So it’s not difficult to consider how TV affects our kids – in fact many studies show this to be true. However it’s not what most of us want to see as I know we like the relief TV brings – but at what cost? A great expose.
Has the TV in the room become the elephant in the room that everyone stares at now and life becomes the elephant in the room we no longer see?
Steve, what you present here is what I lived for many years, that being that my life was the elephant in the room that I didn’t see. Becoming a student of universal medicine has been integral in making my life mine again, and due to choosing to again participate in my life I discovered that much of how I was living it was not how I truly wanted to live it, hense many a change have I made, to now be living as I truly want to be.
It is amazing how much tv is used as a background noise – something is is used to fill the void when we want time out. The problem is we do not realise or care to realise quite what we get when we say yes to it – we think it is just an innocent checking out moment but it is and feels like it is so much more when we choose to feel our body after watching tv compared to before.
Awesome that we can hold such a love for others that allows us to distinguish behaviour that is harming as not being about the person but about something coming through them, such as this tv influence. In this way we can prevent the harm from spreading as we do not need to react, feel personally wronged and judge or blame the person and then truly support as Leigh has expressed.
Imagine if tv shows were about asking the real questions and helping humanity in some way, instead of pure entertainment to help us check out, numb out, or get totally hooked on those reality tv shows that people just can’t stop watching, or those movies where they think the actors are actually real.
This article really exposes the truth that the easy option of planting children in front of the telly isn’t actually that easy after all, and that the aftermath of exposing children to the energy of something that is not loving may cause them to react in ways that are not who they truly are. Hence the difficulty many parents experience that arises in their children is not an inevitability but one we can actually discern through the experiences they are subjected to.
Not just TV can have this effect on us; I have watched a teenager totally change her behaviour and start self-harming and being abusive after a night on social media. Just goes to show that absolutely everything matters.
Spot on Gabriele, TV, video games, social media – any form of screen time really that disconnects us from our body and what we are really feeling.
Very interesting point you have made Leigh, that tv transmits energy and it’s discernment that’s called for to feel how that energy effects us.
You have described here Leigh I believe one of the foundational things that every parent should know – the ability to read your kids energetically. If you had not done this, you would have felt very upset and hurt by what happened and even started to believe what was being said. However you read firstly that the energy and the words coming through the child when they were hurling insults was way beyond what the child was humanly capable of and therefore the energy was coming through him not from him. This is a big distinction because it gives us a level of detachment and observation which means we are less likely to react to the situation and can hold someone in love and understanding and support them to choose to come back to themselves as you describe in this example. I have had similar experiences with my children – not always successful (it can be difficult to not react sometimes especially when the energy I have noticed seems specifically aimed at riling me up!) but many successful examples and both me and my children have benefited immensely from this understanding of how energy works as inspired and presented by Serge Benhayon.
We have become tethered to our TVs, like an umbilical cord that we refuse to believe we can exist without it! It is time to be re-born again to cut the cord that is feeding us. What the TV has fed to us in the past was never really healthy, but now it is detrimental to our well-being.
Although we have a TV in our home, it is covered up and never switched on. TV holds no interest anymore for myself or some of my children. IF I occasionally watch a movie – and if I feel that with that movie comes an energy that lets me check out or not be present or changes the way I feel, then the off button is quickly at hand.
Yesterday whilst going for an afternoon walk I have noticed that many people were at and pottering around their homes in the warm sun. What stood out was the sound of many TV screens blaring in the background that made me wonder whether we use TV and other media as background noise, a constant movement or sound that stops us from taking the time to focus on aspects in our lives that give us the opportunity to be more focused and still.
My 12 year old son was recently commenting on an emotionally charged advert for a TV show where contestants compete in a timed bake off. He said that he would love to watch the show and learn some of the cooking techniques but couldn’t understand why it had to include all the drama and the stress. Obviously the TV channels are only providing what people want. An escape from their own life, stress and drama? The programs are becoming more extreme and more dishonouring of those involved. What choices are we making in everyday life that we need this form of escape?
This is hot topic currently in the media – many families may well be questioning what harm is being spread and absorbed by their chidlren via screens – be that TV, iPads, phones and gaming. This is a conversation to continue having and to take deeper for the topic is not limited to the obvious sex and violence that has become the needed stimuli in daily life – we need also then ask why the reliance on this form of stimulation? Why are we seeking an alternate reality and why are we requiring the stimulation to get through life? Whatever happened to the natural vitality we had from young? We are exhausted and yet nowhere are we hearing reports on the addiction of humanity to sugar, caffeine and increasing forms of stimulation to keep us going.
This is a really important observation that deserves to be shared with everyone as tv is such a common influence in people’s lives and it only begins there if we also consider the influences coming in through music, radio, video games and social media. The conclusion of being discerning of the energy coming though media is the true call to those responsible for young children, especially as that power to discern and read energy is already there available to all, just as the friend was able to understand this when it was offered.
Leigh a great reminder that we need to be very discerning about what energies we let into our home, and our responsibility for the choices we make which affects ourselves and others.
This is a hugely supportive article for me, confirming something I have always felt, and supporting me to be really clear with my kids about the impact of TV and ‘screen time’. The hooks are strong, they have been designed to be, because they do pull us out of our true nature.
My grand children are now very imaginative with their games since the TV has been not an option. They are more themselves and more settled. TV is so detrimental to young children that I would go as far as to say it is a health hazard.
TV or not TV is that really a question? There is a most definite disruption to how children and people are when you involve TV. I have watched this for years and we don’t use TV as a given in our house and watch how our relationships benefit from that. I remember the local paper doing an article on this years ago and so it’s not a new fact but our awareness and conversations need to continue to understand what is going on. We have started this conversation many times as I’ve said but the consistency and depth of what we are identifying here needs to expand.
Its not just television that opens the door to escape now, we have tablets, laptops and phones that can all provide a show to help us get away from ourselves. Will there come a time when people don’t talk at all any more, and instead just watch a show? If you travel on any aeroplane flight, you will see that time is already here.
The TV screen is like an open door to our living room– I would always take care about who I invite into my home, so why would it be any different in what I let come into my living space via the TV? It’s bound to have an impact on the space and those who live in it.
I was sharing with a person the other day about the effects of tv drama and film entertainment on the body, my thoughts and mood and how i can on longer watch certain films, or that i’m definitely much more observant of the content than before. In the past, and a few years ago, i remember feeling very affected by films especially those containing violence or killings but also becoming numb to be able to watch them, such that as the years went by I could watch any sort of films within reason and be like teflon. This i feel is probably the majority of us watching tv/film these days, we are so numb that we just don’t feel the extent to which something is harming us.
Yes Sofia,
Our bodies may well be quite numb to the affects of TV, but something that we so often refuse to see or even think is possible is that our behaviour is affected, all of the time.
Personally, I can remember feeling agitated if I was not quite finished doing a job before the program was coming on I wanted to see, that I would force myself to stay awake to watch a programme even though I was tired, that I would cut of, or ignore my family if they interrupted my program. All of these things and more were because of my choice to allow TV to dictate how my life flowed. What I never gave any consideration to though, is that how I spent the evening, checked out in front of the TV, was the foundation for my next day, hense I would find myself not wanting to participate in my life. This begs the question to be asked, is TV and other pass times eroding our natural instinct to be fully present, involved and in general a caring, supportive human being, to be engaged in our life and contribute fully our uniqueness and love of life that we all have within?
“He literally attacked me and said he hated me in ways that a child of 6 just doesn’t use” – when I read this Leigh what came to mind is when alcohol or a drug is used and the person becomes another person i.e. very distinctly not themselves. It’s made me reflect on just how much there is in the world that stops the natural harmony of a human being from being this, and how such activity like ‘entertainment’ or ‘fun’ can and are used as a cover/disguise to make them appear like ‘a harmless bit of fun’, that if interrupted as you did Leigh, is seen as being a ‘killjoy’.
Great call, Zofia. We have come to a place where we have designed entertainment as something we have a right to and anyone or anything that stands in the way is a negative obstruction. The truth is that the entertainment itself is the obstruction that we have chosen to avoid being in a loving and responsible relationship with ourselves.
Going to the TV as relief for tiredness and exhaustion is super familiar to me and my family, who have learnt this mostly from me. Now, I don’t know about you, but I talk to myself a lot, there is a constant conversation happening about everything, and what I have notice is how when I watch TV from exhaustion and a for relief the conversations change, the tone of the voice I use to speak with myself, the subjects I choose to talk about all become different, they become influenced by whatever program I have just watched. These thoughts then affect my movements, how I move about the house and the conversations I then have with my family. But, when I watch TV not form exhaustion, not from any kind of a need at all, then it is just fun, and I do not change, and to be honest, when I am feeling like this I am less likely to watch it in the first place, which raises the question about the purpose of TV and responsibility we all have in making or keeping it true to it’s purpose.
I have heard the argument for TV that it brings families together but this is only thought to be true because of how far we have strayed from true unity.
Dear Alexis,
Most of my life I lived with the TV going of an evening and what I have learnt is that this never brought my family together. What it did was create something to focus on, that stopped conversation from flowing naturally. We all would wait til an ad to speak, and then do so quickly, without any true care for another. It is pure hog wash that TV brings people together, as like you say, we have strayed a long way from true unity. There were odd times in my family life where the TV was not on, this was mainly during electricity blackouts, but what I did notice from these times is that we did come together as a family, we would often sit and watch the night sky and chat or play card games and have a lot of fun spending this time together.
I agree that the TV brings a lot of stuff with it that we choose to be ignorant of, to our great detriment. Everything comes with an energy, and we must constantly discern what that energy is.
If we are honest and aware of our bodies we will know the real effect that watching TV has and us, what it might seem a relaxing pastime can be a draining experience on our wellbeing and quality of being, so being able to discern is important to what we are truly being exposed to.
Your observations of how this boy changed whilst watching TV are very insightful and revealing Leigh. We all have the ability to read and observe what is going on behind the obvious and yet many times we shut down our awareness so as to not feel and ignore what we do not wish to address.
What I notice every time I turn off the T.V. is a sudden loud stop of the noise and activity that comes through the screen into the living room. Its in this moment that you realise the sheer volume of activity that pours through this piece of equipment and has the ability to distract.
Correct, children can be the canaries in the coal mine – they are super sensitive to energy so it is easy to mark the effects of television on them, and although adults may feel they are not so sensitive as children, without realising they are being affected equally so.
Since reading this blog I’ve become much more aware of the separative energy that not only comes from TV programs, but also through video games, movies, music, radio stations etc. Today I heard a reporter interviewing a reporter and the way he interviewed was very imposing, trying to get an answer out of the woman about a definite yes or no. I had a lot of respect for the lady as the way he was trying to manipulate her by asking the same question over and over again in just different words. It got nothing to do with true journalism or true reporting, but everything with propaganda and emotional turmoil. Sad, but true. But definitely great to be aware of as it gives me the possibility to know what’s really going on instead of being a ‘blind’ follower.
It is clear to anyone who wants to observe that TV and computers and gaming has a massive impact on our emotional and mental well being, and not positively. We just tend to not want to see it.
Everything that enters our homes has an effect on our life’s quality. TV-programs, radio channels, music, newspapers, guests, furniture, … We are worth to be discerning all the time.
So true, staying aware and alert as to what we invite in and kicking it out if it does not match the quality of our way of being we have developed.
Just as we receive a ‘ sugar rush’ from food, we receive a download of some kind of energy from whatever else we may be consuming, be that TV, music, drugs or alcohol. There is much to open our eyes to here.
Its quite something to consider all the outside influences we allow in our lives. We are being fed these things as fun and rewarding when they clearly are not. If I am watching TV to numb out, to disconnect and keep from disconnecting with who I am, I will see all the ill behaviours that result from ingesting emotions etc. through screens – whether it’s TV or gaming or internet surfing for the purpose of being amused – as normal. I’ll not discern the extent of the disconnect between us as people and not know the beauty of connection and how it is way more profound and life confirming than any action film or emotional drama or whatever.
As generations become more involved in being fed by screens of different descriptions the cycle continues and we become more disconnected and so on with incremental effect. This does not bode well for our care of each other and surely can only add to people checking out and the link to increased levels of dementia we are facing.
I can actually relate to this young boy as have been so addicted to some TV shows in the past. Looking back on how much time I spent watching these shows and thinking about the characters I can’t help but wonder how different things may be if I had bought all that attention to something more real.
Abby,
I too had programs that I was addicted too. There has been much time in my life wasted sitting in front of the TV. When I feel just how hooked I was I find myself in celebration of what I have choosen for myself in the past couple of years. For now there is no desire, or even the thought to turn on the TV.
I love the title of this blog, and when I consider what TV brings into a home, it has the potential to bring the news – what’s happening in the world, documentaries on interesting events or people and entertainment that is enjoyable and a welcome break from a busy day. Unfortunately that isn’t what I see TV brings but it certainly has the potential to.
Visiting some friends recently, it was great to hear the children’s parents saying no to them watching / using TV, mobile phones or computer games for more than a short period of time on any given day. Their mother shared that being consistent with this is the only way they have broken down the habit of letting the children be unsupervised with this before. The children now accept this without question and their behaviour is changed.
The understanding and awareness of energy that i have begun to rebuild in my life thanks to Serge Benhayon is a true gift for which i am endlessly humbled and learning.
I can relate to this entirely, although we do not have a television my children often turn on Kiss Fm, a well known UK radio station that plays all manner of hip hop, house, techno in my car and the changing behaviours that i have observed after or during are sure confirmation to me that we are vessels and energy passes through us (as presented by Serge Benhayon), it was particularly marked by watching my 6 year old moving in a very sexual manner which i have never seen before, I know there was a time when i would have laugh at this, in fact actively encourage i, but now i see this as an amazing opportunity to observe how energy works.
It is amazing how much we turn to tv when we want to get something more from life – at least that is what I have done! Usually I switch on the tv when I am wanting an out moment from life, when things have gotten too hard. The same is often the case for when I use social media. What happens is I then immense myself in another world – one not based on reality and essentially take time out. But why would I want do that when afterwards I usually end up feeling less present with myself and what I am doing and more tired as usually I get engulfed by what I am watching. It is fascinating and interesting how much the average person watches tv and uses social media – which I must admit says a lot about the way we live.
There are any number of ways we may disengage from each other and from life.
It is important to be having conversations – to connect with others and to deeply care.
Recently I finally broke a long habit of watching TV before going to bed. I had convinced myself that I was watching things that were worthwhile – and whilst they were – good documentaries etc, the truth was that it was affecting my sleep. So recently, I have not turned it on in the evening, and I have quickly realised what a profound change this has had on the quality of my sleep.
It’s amazing how things like movies, tv and music can affect us – something that is to a level understood and acknowledged, and yet the deeper effect is often overlooked, and yet it can help us to understand some of our behaviour.
A tremendously important message about the need for discernment over what tv we choose to let into our homes and a big nudge about our responsibility to make the necessary adjustments to the way we organise our own day so that we can be fully supportive in our parenting.
Yes, this is huge and brings a deeper level of responsibility to the choices we make every day in our homes, opening our eyes even more to the impact of certain things we automatically accept as the norm.
As a society, we see TV as a form of entertainment, but what does it entertain?
How much influence have TV programs on both our children or ourselves? Have we ever considered the influence? Until I was 32 years old, I was not told nor have I read anything about the impact watching TV has on our body and from there directly on our behavior. That is worth studying to find out what the affects are of different programs. Now that we are aware of it, don’t we have an (energetic) responsibility towards the energy we ‘offer’ our children?
TV used to be a massive part of our families life. Literally it used to be on when eating dinner or breakfast and then was still on after dinner for those evening shows. All the quality time we could have spent together was always masked by the TV!
Children are so honest in the expression from their body – there is not holding back. I love how children are so transparent in this way and that often it is the parents that don’t want to read what is truly going on because once they do they need to take responsibility for any choices they have made which have contributed to the situation.
I don’t think we want to see how much TV effects us. It is a very invasive thing really. And the thing is, we’re watching people acting – they are not even their true selves. This leaves a pretty grim imprint on us. TV does drain us and yet we have set it up to relax and unwind us. How ironic. We just want to escape from what is around us but this escape is effecting us. I’d never looked at TV in this way.
More and more it is becoming evident of the addictive qualities of TV and the effects it is having on everyone from all walks of life, especially as it is so sociably accepted. It’s as if by watching the TV we have plugged into something which drains us and we become so dull that our vitality is practically non existent – is it any wonder that the child in this blog started to react to whatever energy he had picked up from the TV program.
Years ago when TV was one of my stable patterns every evening, it became just a place where I would not have to connect to anyone. I would record things the night before so I could fast forward through the commercials. Recording things would also allow me just to stop at any point watching because I could step back in whenever I choose. I also had an ability just to turn off and walk away from something I was watching and not go back to it, for there was no interest in except for isolation. TV became my floatation tank where I would check out from myself and the world around me, and I could dip back into life when I choose. TV is no longer missed or enjoined within my life anymore; this choice is now on the list of things I appreciate.
From the attention, care and honesty with which you approached the impact of TV in your home that day, you have opened up a big and beautiful opportunity to review how we parent and what is going on when we hand over responsibility to a screen (include all here). Thank you, Leigh.
In just a couple of generations we have normalised spending hours looking at TV screens as a great way to live and entertain ourselves, without really looking at what we might be avoiding or taking on when we watch.
“As parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents and family friends, we all know the children in our lives inside out, and all of us have the responsibility to discern and to understand what is going on in their lives and to sense the activities or experiences that cause them to change.” absolutely we have a responsibility to full fill.
Over the last 20 years or so there have been long periods between phases where I was tv watching- sometimes a couple of years and so it was starkly obvious the creep into more violence, more aggression on programs, more ‘in your face’ advertising, more relentless harassing – yet as many people watch it every day, it is like we have become immune to the onslaught of energy that comes through it – and then there is the violence in some computer games also… there are pundits loudly declaring ‘there is no evidence’ that violence on the screens has any bearing on acts of violence in the community (kind of like the ‘there is no evidence that smoking is bad for you’ in the early 20th century) – and yet one only has to observe the transformations such as you have, to get all the ‘evidence’ you need. And on a larger scale we only have to look at the violence increasing in our communities – it is worth considering that everything has an impact on everything else.
Re-reading your blog again Leigh just shows me how important it is to be so discerning when watching TV or films etc, as the energy coming through can be so harming. So glad I barely watch TV these days …
I see parents using tv as a way to keep their children entertained without for a moment taking the time to discern what is being shown and as you have described Leigh will potentially be harming for their wellbeing, it is our responsibility as parents/adults to discern what is the quality of material children are exposed to.
I used to get very involved in TV programs and movies, I’d often feel like I was a part of it and would either feel exhausted or stimulated from watching something. I realised at some point that I was taking on the energy of the show I was watching, so if it was a ‘sad’ movie, I’d be there balling my eyes out with it. I didn’t realise at the time that this is harmful because the sadness I was feeling from watching the show a) wasn’t mine, and b) wasn’t real.
Having not owned or watched a TV for over three years I have been surprised when at the home of a family member on occasions and they had their television turned on. Their two children were mesmerised by the screen to the point that they were almost totally unresponsive when spoken to and did not want to break away from their viewing, much like in this blog. We as adults have a responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of children where TV is concerned as it can clearly develop a strong hold over them and is not healthy.
” A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives, and a commitment to allowing us to be honest and to connect to how a programme leaves our family, and ourselves, feeling after watching it. Only then do we have a clear choice as to what we allow to come into our homes from the TV. ” A profound point Leigh. But do we give ourselves that time? I know I used to just surf from one programme to another – to fill the emptiness I felt inside, when I was in an unhappy place in my life. I was aware my son did that too – in long school holidays – for a while. Luckily he found more worthwhile things to do with his time. Nowadays I no longer even own a TV.
When I was growing up, few households had a TV in the house and it was considered a luxury to have one. Nowadays, they are often a priority buy for a house and many children have one in their own bedroom – no wonder they can be prickly or in strong reaction to parents and other people. Reading this blog is a real eye-opener with regards to how we are all influenced by energy coming through the TV and not realising it. Children especially are very vulnerable.
We tend to only see what we want to see when it comes to the effects of tv.
If we could see what came through the TV screen, and not just what was on it; it would change the way we watch and approach television full stop.
79% of the global population have TV sets in their homes. And I would guess that 99% of them would consider that to be ‘normal’. As this blog so eloquently shows, it may be that we need to start looking at what we are allowing because it is ‘normal’
We need to look at this stuff from a totally open canvas. This is what is brilliant about what you present here and, by the sounds of it, how you offered it to your friend. Normal does not mean it’s OK. And something as so very, very normal as TV is always going to be a hard one to challenge. The young boy gave the perfect illustration of what can happen. And through your love and claimed expression an opportunity was given to see beyond ‘normal’. Beautiful.
I have noticed the intensity of the violence and drama on TV has increased significantly since I was a child.
Wow – such a great example of the way TV effects us, I used to watch tv non-stop constantly as a child and through my teenage years. It’s only recently that I really stopped and noticed that over the time I watched TV I actually felt different, I felt less myself, more tired, more irritable, and I’d lost connection with myself and those around me. It’s certainly not the innocent medium it’s made out to be.
How clearly exposing this blog is to the fact that there is energy in every single thing and it can affect us deeply to move, speak and act from a loving presence or that which is far removed from love.
A really practical and inspiring article that shares great understanding of TV and its impact and inspires me to consider where I fall for distracted ‘babysitting’ parenting rather than responsible, loving and present parenting.
Beautiful Leigh, thank you for sharing your experiences and your wisdom. Discernment as to what programs heal or harm is certainly needed; modelling (as you did) and teaching our children to understand and discern energy is a wonderful gift we can give them.
What a insightful thing to pick up on Richard, the language gives it away, the energy we take on certainly has an influence on our choices. Do we really want to know who is programming us and why?
Sometimes we do and say quite ugly things. The difference is whether we then enjoy or even get off on the sheer ugliness of it or whether we are shocked and work on closing the door where that ugliness came from.
TV and screens are commonly used as Baby-sitters these days – a convenience that is coming back to bite us in the bum!
Thank you Leigh for highlighting the fact that we do need to discern how when and why we put our kids in front of a screen and what happens afterwards!
Although I haven’t watched TV for many years, I use to occasionally still watch a movie. Over the past 6 months that too has dropped off, as I would feel how I would often feel a dip in my energy after watching the movie. I much prefer now to spend what used to be ‘me time’ with a movie, having dinner and truly connecting with friends. This feels like a much more supportive, loving and evolutionary thing to do.
I once heard the T.V described as a “spiritual sewer running through our homes”. The sentence evidently resonated with me and your blog Leigh, backs up the truth of this statement. While there are some very worthwhile programmes broadcast, they remain in a minority. My experience is that the majority of programmes are intended to rouse us, make us emotional and sway our thinking and perception of the world. There was a time when watching T.V was a real treat, when it was not actually broadcast 24/7 but had ‘off ‘periods. However we cannot help but over do these things, like alcohol, sugar and chocolate consumption, what begins as a treat, something to be enjoyed on special occasions is marketed to the point of overwhelm and extreme indulgence and the energy that this brings into our lives and homes wreaks havoc in the midst of our naturally loving family relationships. Ditching the T.V has definitely been a very healthy choice to make and there is nothing that will entice me back to having mainstream T.V in my home again.
Leigh it is an important question to raise as we often ask “How much screen time should we allow?” without first discerning the quality of the screen time that is being offered.
First off, I can feel now how I have played a little trick with myself in feeling like I had overcome any TV addiction by getting rid of our TV over 8 years ago. But the truth is, it has been replaced by watching documentaries on YouTube and Netflix on occasion, and I can see now how I have used it for stimulation to counteract the exhaustion I have felt based on the way I have been living, not truly taking care of my body. This form of ‘checking out’ from life is so tempting when we are feeling upset by something and don’t want to deal with it, or even as a ‘reward’ for accomplishing something in our day. But the truth is that if we feel complete about how we were living in our day, why would we need a reward in the first place? I have also noticed how TV or watching videos on the internet would never seem to fulfil this emptiness based on me not simply feeling enough as I am, thus furthering the addiction to watching more and more stuff, and how I might justify this by saying to myself “Well, at least I am learning something educational or something about the world and people that I could use to help others.” But in reality, don’t we all have that knowingness inside us all the time?
When we open our eyes to the fact that we live in a world of energy and cannot escape this fact, we may well ask ourselves what energy is at play and what energy are we allowing auto-entry into our lives without checking?
The world of TV is definitely one that entices us to escape the reality of the world we live in. I had noticed a number of years ago how I became hooked on cooking shows and would sit for a few hours watching one after another. It took me a few weeks to clock that the more I watched these program the levels of hunger that I would register were out of the roof. I would then sit and eat copious amounts of food and not fill full.
I don’t watch TV anymore simply because there came a time when I realised that there wasn’t really much I enjoyed watching. I had used TV in the past as a ‘filler’ or to tune out at the end of the day, or to not feel the loneliness. TV isn’t all bad but like anything, it’s about discerning what it is you’re watching and whether it is a great time to sit back and take some time out and enjoy something on TV, or whether it is being used to avoid something.
It is astounding really how much of a habit watching TV can become. It is something that is just turned on automatically. We always turned it on to watch the news each night as we thought it was important but really we did not need to watch TV for an hour to find out what was going on in the world as much of the news was not news but padding to fill in the time. Now we watch no TV and catch up on news on our phones- so much time saved and our evenings feel so much more spacious.
It is the exhaustion that leads us most to watching tv in our house. But that is not the answer. In fact, we may feel exhausted, but we have also given up on self-care and self-love when we are so tired yet cannot be bothered to rest and would rather numb-out on what the program gives us – a sure way to avoid taking responsibility for getting so tired and so exhausted in the first place!
The facts of this are scary when you consider that TV is the norm for most households. The effects that TV has on people are huge, and no-one really considers this when it comes to looking for reasons behind behavioural problems. A greater awareness around this is much needed.
I have noticed the sound tracks that accompany certain films and programs can also feel very disturbing. It reminds me of the Hitchcock film Psycho. Even though I might not remember the scenes, the music is very much imprinted in my memory and the association with what was happening in the film is strong. Its enough to invoke fear by simply recalling the music.
“there is a level of responsibility we can step up to with our own self-care that will in turn support our children.” this is a great point as at the end of the day it comes down to the love we have for ourselves and therefore hold and support others with. I’ve noticed the more care and loving I am with my movements the less the need or even pull for TV, but once I drop and watch a show I feel an addiction to it – its a very strong drug that we accept as normal.
we have been sold that TV is a good time for relaxing, unwinding and enjoying something but how utterly false when joy comes from the movement of our natural expression and is there when doing all of life simple tasks like computer work, walking, washing dishes, talking with family and so on.
As with all forms of entertainment and distraction TV brings Numbness, makes us checked out and less aware of the subtleties that life is presenting. Every moment the universe is communicating with us, we can make the most of it, or keep reducing what we feel and see.
It is interesting that the TV is often used during the evening by adults and this is when the more dramatic programmes are showed. This form of entertainment is the exact opposite to what the body needs at this time. Not only is the body left stimulated or numbed but also as we are likely to be affected by the energy of whats watched which gets taken into our sleep. It seems there is more to this plan of choosing to watch TV than we are willing to admit ?
Raising children is a responsibility where discerning what supports them in their day ‘should’ be a normal thing to do in every thing they choose to do. Often this has not been the case for me where I would choose jobs and work above what was going on for them. However, I have began to make changes and now I am working on the consistency of bringing those changes in my day eg. instead of placing the children in front of the tv while I prepare a meal, I get them to help me by laying the table, preparing the drinks and getting the food from the fridge etc. It is surprising how much they can do and it supports everyone.
Leigh, this is very interesting to read, ‘A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives, and a commitment to allowing us to be honest and to connect to how a programme leaves our family, and ourselves, feeling after watching it’, I see how T.V, films and videos games directly affect children, I see rough, hard, fighting behavior being played out in the school playground that has directly come from the T.V or video games, the actions from the Tv and video games are often repeated by the children and I see these tender little boys change when they are acting out what they have seen, I agree there needs to be discernment about what our children are watching and how this affecting their behavior.
I was very aware of the television that was available for my children to watch when they were young and used to monitor it carefully, usually to their annoyance, but I realise now that I didn’t have the same “rules” for me. As a single parent for many years who usually arrived at the end of a day very tired, often exhausted, I couldn’t wait for when the kids went to bed and I could collapse in front of the telly. It became an addiction, an escape from my life, if only for an hour or so. These days I watch very little, and am very discerning with anything I do watch, but I still have to be very aware, for there are times when I am tired or unwell that I can feel the old addictive pattern arising once again trying to nudge me towards the couch and the remote.
I remember when my boys were very young (over 10 years ago or more) that I couldn’t wait for them to get interested in TV so that I could have some time for myself. Looking back I can see how much I was looking to zone out from how tired I was and I offered them the same outlet. Which brings me to the point that many say that children love the TV or computer games but do they really? Babies aren’t born craving entertainment. Now a days it’s very common to see toddlers sitting in a pram with an iPad or phone propped up in front of them to watch. Creating such a narrow and unnatural view of the world.
Such important discussion you open up here Leigh.
I feel how powerful & important it is when you state that it is our responsibility as parents and role models to pay attention to how things are effecting the young children in our lives.
I have found that with the consistent self care and love I now hold for myself (thanks to choosing Serge Benhayon & the Ancient Wisdom as my role model and inspiration) I am much better able to see and feel when a child is not themselves; I am able to not take it personally and I’m able to see a nurturing activity as an alternative to checking out or inviting a child to check out with TV (or movies) when we are tired.
Yes, parents pay a big price for the benefit of time for themselves. TV and computer games come at a large cost.
Super informative article! But it’s more than information, it’s information that has been experienced/lived. We all know that TV affects us in ways that doesn’t support us, yet like so many other distractions in life, we tolerate it’s side affects all so that we don’t have to feel what’s really going on. I’m guilty of this. The more awareness I bring to myself and my choices the more I can see the patterns/cycles I create…and from there I have a choice to repeat, or make a different choice.
‘How do we feel after watching a programme? Does the programme really support us to relax or does it incite us into emotional reactions and judgements?’ It’s so great that you are asking these questions Leigh. Lately I’ve started watching more TV than usual. I stopped watching it for a long period of time, because I started to notice how much it drains me and I often would wake up completely exhausted and I’d also dream about the show. This proved to me that I was getting emotionally invested and allowing the hooks in.
What’s interesting is that in the last few weeks, as I’ve been wrapping up at my current job, I’ve had more time to ‘unwind’ and I’ve been far less stressed and anxious. But to avoid starting to feel the new found space I had…I wanted to fill it up quickly with distractions…enter TV.
It’s such a tool for pulling us away from ourselves.
I know that when I am tired and not taking care of myself my level of discernment drops and things I would usually say no to for myself or not allow for my children go by the wayside. We are constantly affected by influences that we may call ‘normal’ or it’s ‘just’ this or that, it’s harmless. But we all really see the changes in each other and in our children even if we pretend to not see them. Great experience to share Leigh and show how when we hold another in the understanding of what’s going on it allows them to feel themselves again.
Beautifully said Aimee. “…when we hold another in the understanding of what’s going on it allows them to feel themselves again.” This is a huge realization in our current world where checking out has become normal and accepted. And I know that I can only offer this crucial self assessment and understanding if I am developing and holding that for myself?
I have know for a long time that it is not ‘being alive’ that hurts but that it is ‘not being me’ or ‘not BEing fully alive’ that causes all my suffering and confusion. Finally I found Universal Medicine which has shown me the way back home to myself and all the steadiness, love and wisdom that is inside me.
Feeling the difference I have to ask, is escaping into TV and video games not a lessor way of being?
As I see more and more young children literally going to bed with their kindles-full-of-games instead of Teddy bears I ask are we not fully diving into a great experiment with our young children having to do with existing with less presence and less quality time with self and others?
Thank you for sharing Leigh; it’s really interesting to hear how drastic the changes were in little boy after watching that particular television show. It goes to show just how much what we watch, read and listen to can affect our behaviour and attitude, and highlights the importance of choosing our entertainment wisely.
This makes so much sense, because looking back one of my daughters behaviour definitely got worse when there was a film on, even if she had wanted to watch it she could only cope with half an hour here and there, and off the TV would go. It makes me wonder how many other children are displaying behaviours such as you have described here in this blog and their parents do not realise or acknowledge that the TV is affecting them in this way.
Recently my teenagers were reflecting on our household rule of no TV before school. This was as they were growing up and they shared how much they appreciated that I had made the choice. For me it was simple if they ever watched TV in the morning or too much TV they were so over stimulated and hadn’t been physically active enough that this caused a tension ii their bodies as well being effected by the energy of what ever they had watched. Recently i attended Mental Health First aid training for teenagers and they talked about the increase of PTSD in teenagers since 911, and the trauma that watching these types of events of TV is having. There is a lot at stake we would be wise to consider what we are really letting into our homes.
When I was living tired and feeling run down, I simply did not have the energy to be discerning with activities like TV “and in other areas in my family’s lives.” I love that you bring the aspect of self-care to this topic and I can say that it is very true, the more I take care of myself the more present and observing I can be of any situation.
I must admit to using the TV as a babysitter when my children were small. When I started to take notice of the impact it was having on the family I raised the idea of having a no-TV day that I allowed the children to choose. They chose a Sunday. It did end up being a very different day to all the others. There was a calmer feeling and we chatted to each other more. Gradually we noticed we were putting the TV on less and less.
What an interesting read. And how cool that you are so open and aware that a change in behaviour could be more than someone just being tired. As you rightly say, ‘a level of discernment is needed’ – and this of course goes beyond just TV. We should be discerning in everything we do. Thanks so much for sharing your story.
I stopped watching tv for a long time now and I do not miss it at all…… At the moment I am staying with my mum for a few days. She has this huge tv in her living room and because she is a little deaf the volume is fairly high. Each morning I come down into the living room, I just feel how this box is so imposing and so loud and interferes with our conversation and our connection. When we start a conversation I ask my mother would she mind that she put off the tv, which she does and immediately I feel less stressed and less annoyance.
Jacmcfadden04,
I too am in a home at the moment where TV or radio is on at a high volume for most of the day and it has been very interesting to observe just how disturbing it is to be in such a space. To stay present and feel this and not go into reaction is a challenge. What I have found is that the TV and radio seem to amplify whatever energy of choice the person in the home uses to check out from life. In this home I feel a way of living that I have chosen a lot to be my primary choice of energy to not take responsibility for myself and my life. Having made choices recently where I am choosing to be responsible, It is very interesting to observe how more of this is acted out when the TV and radio are on.
TV is the river we allow into our life’s that over time erodes us. The more it flows, the faster we lose bits of ourselves. By watching TV, we become numb and desensitised that may be carried into our real life and apathy becomes a way of life. We need to tune into what has always been real… what is within us all.
I have observed in myself that very often if I watch TV before going to bed that the quality of my sleep is affected and there can be a certain agitation or raciness in my body that was not there before I watched TV. There is a lot more going on in this relationship we have with TV than meets the eye.
Leigh, great article. I have chosen to not have a T.V in my home because I stopped enjoying watching it and actually found it quite disturbing, my son has grown up without a T.V and I notice when he does watch something – at school or at a friends that he can get upset by what he watches, he often says things are scary or he can become hyperactive if it is something stimulating, so I have seen clearly the affects that T.V has. This is a much needed discussion.
For about ten years I lived without a television. Then close relative, who felt I was depriving myself bought one for me. I could have chosen to not accept the gift, but didn’t, and soon developed a dependency. it started to fill a void I felt at the time. Observed that when i watched TV, I zoned out and switched off. I used it as a form of escape and practised over time was very harmful as I shut down and avoided connecting to how I was really feeling and why.
Leigh, this is a sharing which is needed in our world, where often children are left with television sets as baby sitters and where they can kept ” silent”. What truly is happening, that television is disturbing stillness, very few are aware of.
I have seen myself many times placing the blame on tiredness when one of my children have started to play up. It is an easy option as I don’t have to take responsibility for what has happened. It is true, the more loving and caring I am with myself, the more I am willing to observe and carry out self love that in turn supports my children.
This is an awesome reflection… how often have I seen that happen… or felt it in myself. To become ensnared in a programme, to let it affect how I feel and to lost myself in it. Its a powerful medium and we should really learn to respect that rather than using it as childcare, or a means to switch off. Its the ‘soma’ that Aldlous Huxley wrote about in his dystopian vision of the future… but the energy that can come through it is surprisingly intense and effective.. but with no health warning. Time to ‘be aware’.
I have been shocked at some of the things children are exposed to on TV but also understand that it is our responsibility as adults to support our children in every way possible to not get affected by it. I have found by bringing awareness to our children around how TV affects them is hugely supportive. We have a responsibility to educate our children in a way that allows them to make wiser and more loving choices. Also what I feel is to be responsible about it and not use TV as our babysitter because what our children crave the most is connection and TV takes them away from that, the energy that comes through certain programmes are so hooking it disconnects them from who they are, hence why most parents experience behavioural changes shortly after they have been sitting watching TV for a while. Reading this blog highlights to me that everyone gets affected by the end result of watching TV, so awesome that we are beginning to understand what is really going on. Also super awesome to be more aware of this and to share it with each other so we can see that there is a common pattern playing out and therefore take responsibility for what we choose.
I agree Chan, I am often shocked at what children are exposed to at a young age through TV or films and there seems to be this general consensus amongst most people that this is ok. Of course we cannot protect our children from everything and it would be foolish to do so, but we need to be talking more with our children and each other about how they are feeling after watching this material and get them to communicate how it feels, so they can understand what is happening and not just assume it is ok.
A great sharing Leigh. I have seen the same kind of result that children I know have had after watching TV and particularly playing Video Games . This has thrown them out of what I would call their reasoning , so that when they are asked to finish watching or playing a game they find it hard to relate to others in a normal, natural way, and anger and abusive behaviour sometimes results. A real personality change seems to occur for a while. I love the way you dealt so lovingly and calmly with your friends young child.
Screen addition is a huge problem nowadays and as devices become more advanced we turn to them more and more, and forget to look at life.
Thank you Leigh for such an awesome blog and for addressing something that many in society many not be ready to hear or embrace. I have never been a big TV watcher, I always found it a waste of time so when I moved to my new home I just didn’t get the TV connected as it doesn’t really interest me and I find this supports me to connect more deeply with people and stay more committed in life and all that it offers.
That is so true Leigh when we don’t self care we don’t have the energy to discern so we basically give up on being responsible. The impact is massive on ourselves and everyone around us including those young adults we are raising!
Yes, it is time to say no to TV, that is the only way anything will change!
The TV can be the legitimate drug sitting in every household. I know how hooked I used to get on certain TV shows, and would feel agitated if I couldn’t watch it or missed it. I needed my fix. The fix was to escape my own world for a while and lose myself in a TV program.
TV is such a normal activity in our homes that we do not stop and consider its energetic impact… yet from your blog it is really apparent the effect it has. Perhaps this can of worms needs opening?
When I was a young child I fell in love with the TV, it really filled my need to daydream and fill myself up with happy endings and what I thought was love in families in series like, The Waltons, the Partridge Family, Little house on the Prairie and so on. I used to wish my family were like these families, and looked at them like they were a real family, never realising that the potential to have a real/true family was right there, I just had to let go of my reaction to not being met by my parents and and bring all of what I knew within me to them.
Many TV programmes are not supportive – that was known even in the 60s and possibly earlier, as each child saw thousands of killings in the movies they watched as a child and in their youth.
I work with young people and many come into school tired, or actually fall asleep in class. When I ask why, it’s always because they were up until the early hours of the morning on their phones or computers. This is a very serious problem. During exam time, the school actually sent a letter home to parents and amongst other things, suggested that parents take phones/tablets/computers away from student at a set time in the evening so that they could get a good nights rest.
An important sharing Debra and one that shows the impact unsupervised and excessive technology use can have on children’s health and learning. It is often easier for busy parents to hand out phones, games and computers as it keeps children occupied and quiet, but as you say there is a price to pay. Parents often do not know what their children are watching or who they’re interacting with on-line and much harm can be done. I know a family with young children, who do not own or have access to phones or computer gadgets and rarely watch TV. Instead these two are encouraged to make play with themselves, read, make things, spend time talking with family or or simply sit and reflect. Parents have a responsibility to choose how their children use the space available to them when at home. Many who live highly pressurised lives and exhausted when they get home will choose the easy option, unaware of consequences for child and teacher.
I find when I watch TV in the evening it makes me jittery and restless. Its something I have decided to stop so that I can have a more relaxed wind down before going to bed.
The big thing for my wife and I was that we’d get hooked on a series and realise that we hadn’t actually spoken to each other in a week! Clearly the telly can be and do many things for people, but for us it was getting in the way of our relationship.
Hear, hear! I’ve not seen the effect so literally happening yet, but I’ve felt not so loving energy coming from TV, but also radio, newspapers, online articles etc. I’ve seen myself changing from a tender, loving man to a guarded, protected and serious man in only a few minutes. Indulging in the article, program on TV or radio, paper at work etc. This is huge. How important is it to discern. Not only for ourselves, but also to raise our children in a way so they remain aware of the impact certain choices can have. Have we ever considered that ‘relaxation’ could be actually very harming?
I love your point about the fact that we need to deeply care for ourselves in order to be able to offer the deep care for our children by discerning what we let them watch on TV or not at all having to put them in front of the TV. This takes away the blame of parents who just are too exhausted to discern and brings understanding to these situations. Plus it offers a loving way forward with deep care and love for ourselves.
As much as we may think that we like or enjoy watching TV, in the end it is time out from life, a break, a relief, distraction, numbing from what we want to get away from – basically we avoid the life we are living. This makes obvious that we rather should check on the quality of our life and seek developing it so that we really enjoy ourselves than cultivating more ways of escaping it.
Yes, Alex, what really is the purpose of TV when there is life to be enjoyed?
that box in the corner with the glowing light is not as simple or innocent as it may seem. It is an amazing insight that you are sharing here Leigh.
As adults we have a responsibly to remain connected in ourselves and to our children for if they are not present and watching TV this is reflecting back how we are living also.
What a remarkable sharing Leigh, and i get the sense that the opportunity is there for us all to really observe how we are as adults too when watching tv, or listening to the radio, or reading a newspaper, any number of things. Does the content we take in change our thoughts and behaviours, I would say it almost certainly does if we are not really on top of what energy is in the content we put ourselves in front of. How much of children’s behaviour do we dismiss as things such as the terrible twos or they are just a bit stroppy, when in fact no child is set in any way of being, but conditioned so much by what is around us.
Great comment Stephen – I totally get caught up in movies and would find myself crying at the end of a cheesy romcom. It’s funny to say but shows me how easy it is for adults to be affected as well. Observe not absorb.
I remember when my partner at the time and myself stopped watching the tv about 2 years ago. The more you love yourself (your body) the more aware you are to what is not aligned to what you feel in your body.
This is great awareness what you are presenting here Leigh about why children can act in such vile behaviour. Just goes to show we should discern if we need to turn the tv on when we are tired, vulnerable or run down and if we are pushing what we are feeling away. When I feel this way it is responsible to allow myself a pristine space to feel what I need to feel. Be delicate with myself. I do my best to cook a nurturing meal and feel into what food I can cook to support my body, have a bath if possible and always lie down and rest my body. We too are very sensitive beings just like children.
I heard Serge Benhayon present recently that one of the reasons why people become so addicted to TV is because they can’t have relationships with the people on the telly box, this made so much sense to me, as I was able to understand that watching people on telly enables us to feel safe, as we are not going to be asked to enter into any kind of a relationship.
Leigh I applaud your insight and ability to discern what went on with your friend’s son. I’m also grateful that you have raised the topic of TV. TV has slipped into our homes pretty much undetected and unfettered and the vast majority of people do not question the effect it has on us but as Serge Benhayon presents, everything is energy, therefore what poisonous energetic strains are being silently excreted through our television sets and what effects are they having on our bodies?
Thankyou Leigh, this blog has given me a great pause to look more deeply at TV. I don’t actively watch TV anymore but it’s often on in the house and I see changes in others because of it. I also notice how affected I can be from seeing snippets of the news, it’s all so negative and can be quite traumatising, and over time it can also be desensitising.
It was beautiful to read your words, Leigh and to feel the full impact of how ‘seemingly innocent’ children’s programmes can affect their energy and behaviour. I feel I knew this as a mother but took what I can now see was the easy route. Quality time spent with a child is so precious and honouring and allows them to feel true nurturing and love.
Thanks Leigh for writing this, I agree that TV impacts kids in ways that are harming for them and for others to endure. I find my kids pick up lots of attitudes that are abusive from TV- it is a medium that they say they ‘enjoy’ but only because they are not really feeling what it does to them.
I know I can attest to the fact that watching certain tv shows and movies can make me feel more sad and depressed, or make me want a relationship or to go on an adventure, or to look and talk a certain way. I can distinctly remember that when I was quite young I saw someone punch someone else on tv and it looked cool so I turned to my mum and hit her – not really understanding what it was. We need to consider that the television opens up a portal for all manger of behaviours to come into the house.
We are the one that brings the TV into our home! Without the TV would there be the word ‘couch potato’ and at a stretch the levels of obesity in the world? I was born with the TV in the fifties; we have grown up with each other from a few channels to endless videos on everything, everywhere, 24/7. Too much of anything is good for nothing! Tuned in and checked out is now a socially accepted addiction. My TV now is for checking the weather in the morning
Great points, Steve. I love TV, love it! But if I get anywhere near it I lose six hours and have nothing to show for it. As a teenager I would channel surf until the early hours and if it wasn’t for the fact I was dozing off I would have sat there until the morning. Like many things, TV can be an addiction for some – another way of checking out.
Just the title of this blog poses an excellent question; ‘What are we bringing into our homes?’. It’s so true that what we choose to watch on television is something we allow to enter our homes and thus meet our children and families… If what appeared on the screen really came to our doorstep and asked to come in, would we truthfully allow it or do we compromise when it’s on the television for the sake of ‘entertainment’?
That’s a great way to put it Leigh, that “A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives” for that is exactly what we are doing. We are saying ‘come in’ to EVERYTHING that went into making that tv programme; every thought, intention, belief, action and behaviour. The understanding that everything has an effect on everything, does not stop simply because the programme is ‘contained’ within the tv screen. It emanates everything that created it.
That includes the drug habits and the emotions of the presenters and the deliberate and accepted manipulations through advertising.
I love this Rosanna, and it is a great compliment to Leigh’s blog. If energy entering our homes can affect us why would we be less discerning of something coming through our screens than someone coming through our front door. We might think we are safe from physical violence with our front door closed while we watch violence on our screens, we are consumers of violence and so we are affected. The same goes for other emotions.
I have always been aware of the effect of the TV. In my childhood home it always felt like a big relief when the TV was finally switched off. It felt like an invasive energy that took over the home and robbed me of time for true connection with my family members. Everyone would go into a kind of sulky state while watching and be reluctant to connect afterwards too. It definitely affected our mood.
I have now not had a television in my house for many years and I do not miss it at all, in fact I deeply appreciative it.
TV is such a hooking and it leaves you wanting more. It has become our very normal way of relaxing and having time to chill out and to rest but how much of us is really resting when you consider what is going on. I know from my own experience that if I watch TV then go straight to bed the quality of my sleep is very average. I haven’t had a TV for over 8 years and I honestly haven’t missed it one single bit.
This is so interesting, Leigh. How often do we dismiss unacceptable behaviour as ‘Oh, it’s just because they are…tired/hungry etc’ rather than looking at what has preceded this change of mood and taking responsibility for or reflecting to them what the cause really is.
What an amazing support you have given to your friend and her son. The ripple effects of your observations and your love will be strong and lasting.
So true. The simplicity of observation serves all.
Leigh I was talking with someone after reading your blog, the discussion was about the way it can be an “easy out” to put kids in front of the TV but how much this does affect the kids. They were sharing how they didn’t have a TV when young, neither did I, and most of the time was spent making things or outside. It seems that as time has passed society has been even more disconnected from each other, from within families whilst becoming increasing more “connected” to the screen. I feel a whole new level of disease coming on as a result of this.
There are so many messages about what life is about being sent through TV programs, even the supposedly cute, non violent kids programs have messages about gender, what family is, how the world works, how people behave, what life means and the music used can have an effect. My children do watch TV, often I watch a couple of shows with them some times and we talk about what they are watching, how they feel and why might get hooked into certain storylines, images etc. There is a reality to life, we can to hide our children from what is out there, the way that I am approaching it is to support them to empower themselves to discern and observe what is being presented to them in life and why. I also am learning to benefit from this practice myself.
It is true that our children, like us are very sensitive “Our children are very sensitive beings and are affected by what is going on around them, all of the time.” There is so much that we are told to deny, ignore or over ride as we grow up. It has been invaluable concerning the relationships I have with my children to talk about the different energy we all take on or feel throughout our day and talk about ways that we can support ourselves to observe and read what is happening rather than over loading ourselves or becoming disconnected from our anchor, our inner knowing of our natural stillness.
Everything we do to observe and honour our innate stillness and that of anyone we parent, work and interact with is to be appreciated and built on.
Leigh your awesome blog showed very clearly which effect TV has on us and now I am wondering what if music has the same effect.
I love this last paragraph and absolutely see it equallly so. ” A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives, and a commitment to allowing us to be honest and to connect to how a programme leaves our family, and ourselves, feeling after watching it. Only then do we have a clear choice as to what we allow to come into our homes from the TV. Only then can we eliminate those programmes that do not support our family to live in the harmony that is the natural way of being, when living together as a community of people that a family is.” Thank You for sharing this precious experience with us.
TV for most is synonymous for switching off our awareness, we use it to feel numb, distracted, our bodies are bereft of us and in turn are filled with what the TV programme offers.
Imagine being honest enough to write down why you are watching TV before you turn it on – it would be very revealing. We might choose to go outside for some exercise or to honour our fatigue and go to bed instead.
We say TV is relaxing but often it is simply draining and we end up numbed by it and call that relaxation which is not the case at all. I agree, if we chose to see what is happening energetically with TV most of the time we might be quite horrified!
I remember clearly as a child how I changed the way I spoke after watching some TV. Some times I thought I was copying some characters thinking it was funny, or I was being clever – as if it was my voluntary choice to do so, but other times I didn’t know what was going on until I got told off by my parents. The trick is we think we think, but most of us have never contemplated a possibility of us being a subject of energy. What Universal Medicine presents brings a deeper understanding into our behaviour and I can see from your example how that is a very essential part in our relationships.
When we understand that behaviour is a consequence of an energy, not the person, it makes such a difference – for judgment only compounds and cements the identification with that energy.
Brilliant blog Leigh, the way you have explained how the energy of the TV programmes can affect us is something many people are not yet aware of. So, it is awesome you are sharing this with us and bringing this to our attention. I have also noticed behaviour changes in my children after they have been watching TV and I remember how I felt as a child when I too had been sitting watching TV. How many of us are using our TV as baby sitters? I know I have done so in the past but now knowing how this can affect our children as well as the energy of the entire family I keep screen time to a minimal. By bringing more awareness to our children, allow them to express how they feel after watching TV this supports them to understand what is actually going on for them before and after watching TV. With better understanding, I feel we can all make more loving choices.
TV can be so influential that it has the potential to introduce ideals and beliefs that can then become ways a child views and responds to life situations with.
It can be when we’re tired that we reach for the convenient ‘solutions’ around us, and may not always discern as thoroughly as we could be. Unfortunately, this is when we tend to get smashed by unsupportive choices.
It was through this feeling of love within that I was able to see the effect that the TV programme was having on this young child and it was the deep love that I felt for him that prompted me to take the action I did.” – this is so interesting Leigh and a great way of sharing what love truly is…feeling the harm on someone even if unrealised to them, in this case the energy being emitted from the tv to disrupt the energy within the little boy, and to put an end to that harmfulness. Makes a stark difference to love being romantic, kind or soft.
Fantastic post Leigh, and a great question to ask and reflect on: ” Does the programme really support us to relax or does it incite us into emotional reactions and judgements?” – i recall when i watched a film that had violence/catastrophe in it, and afterwards feeling completely off-key, awful and noted how my thoughts were haywire, critical and i was very irritable – with everything! I knew it was the film i’d watched and also why i no longer feel compelled to watch certain tv/films as i used to in the past, as they either knock me out to sleep from the energy, or change my thoughts that lead to different behaviours.
I love the example you have set here, in not settling for the unacceptable behaviour of people around us, but in recognising that this is unlikely to be their true expression, where possible to be a support for the relevant parties in exposing and understanding the real energetic trigger of such behaviours. Very loving and empowering.
I remember years ago when my children were growing up we decided not to have TV in our house, this was the case for about seven years, this was great as my children took on different hobbies and there was much interaction with each other as a family. When my eldest son bought his own TV into the house I was shocked to see the obvious impact it had on my youngest son who had not been exposed to TV, his body was physically jolted by the experience, I feel the finer sensitivities we have in our bodies are certainly numbed and or deadened. That was back in the seventies when TV was little milder than what we have to day.
“TV – What is it Bringing Into our Homes” , great question to ask as there is so much shown on TV that an disturb and unbalance people and emotions. It also can stimulate the mind which can also be harmful.
I too have been able to see the impact that watching tv or movies can have on children, they seem to be more obvious in there response to what is coming through. It is like the older we get the more immune we become to it and de-sensitise ourselves from what is going on.
This experience shows the importance of being able to look after yourself everyday so that you have the energy to stay steady, observe what is going on and deal with the reactions. I see many parents who are tired and do not have the reserves to deal with a tantrum that may come from the energy absorbed from a TV show. The same occurs with video games, where parents do not have the energy to deal with the child who has been affected by the game. It appears to be easier to just let them carry on and not deal with the reactions when the game is turned off. But the strength of the reaction is an indicator of how hooking the game is and just how much it is affecting our kids, changing them on the inside.
These days so many parents use the TV (or now the computer) to babysit their kids. We have become so busy, pulled in many directions at once that for a bit of quiet time it seems worth it. We think they are safe, at home and just watching a bit of harmless TV. But as I was reading this blog, I realised that parents would be so much more discerning of real baby sitter. We would want to know their character, to be referred by someone we trust, as we are aware of the physical, emotional and psychological harm that can occur if we are not careful. Yet we do not discern TV shows. We may restrict obviously inappropriate programs with swearing or violence but never consider the energy underlying the apparently harmless shows. This is the harm that can come in under our noses when we need quiet time more than we are willing to discern.
Sometimes we will have ‘scientific’ research carried out saying things like exposure to tv shows doesn’t have an impact on children, though we really have to question who is paying for the study and what their agenda is.
Television is commonly used as a baby sitter for parents, a way of seeking some respite from a child, to entertain them for a period of time. Your sharing Leigh has explained exactly what happens when a child watches TV and therefore calls us as parents to be accountable for our own choices and way of living so that we are open, supportive and available to our children at all times.
I have noticed at night how I may have been quite tired and not feeling like doing anything and turned the tv on and then become more alert. Then when going to bed, even after a short burst of tv, I feel my mind quite racy. TV is yet another way we stimulate our bodies and do not allow them to inform us when to sleep.
This is a perfect example of the importance of us encouraging our children to feel for themselves what is going on and to develop their own self-regulation with this. It’s not easy to do and I certainly didn’t set a good example with my own children as when they were young I wasn’t even on that page myself. It was beautiful the way you all handled the situation, Leigh and how quickly your little visitor reconnected with himself and with you both, which is what we all naturally want to do. As technology becomes more and more prevalent and sophisticated I feel it poses a very real issue for the current generation. Our children are growing up with access to smart devices allowing them to go wherever they want, with immediate access to everything. They are playing games taking them to a completely different reality, with online friends, which are sometimes more ‘fun’ to be with than their real friends from whom they slowly disengage. Being and sharing the love that we all are has never been more important for the well-being of our little people.
This is a profound observation Leigh, and if we are honest we can all recall a similar incident in our lives. We have huge opportunities to bring more love into our households and share our love with others, or we could just watch the TV and get taken out.
A harmonious situation can turn to the complete opposite in the blink of an eye, I love how you share that, knowing it’s energy at play, it helps us to stay steady, see the situation for what it is and to bring love and understanding, rather than reacting to the person. This is how we truly support each other to take responsibility for our choices.
This is very important and great observation and sharing Leigh, thank you so much. It’s amazing, what we think these days that this is normal, watching a box with all kinds of programs, without clearly discerning what intent and what energy are behind these programs. We need to realise that our children, just like all of us, are super sensitive, and we do get affected by everything around us, even more when we don’t know how to stay fully with ourselves. And tv is the perfect instrument to check out in front of. But as you so clearly demonstrated, it has a huge price, not just for us, but all around us too.
Recently I’ve noticed how much certain foods effect both myself or my husband, making us very subtly behave in a withdrawn, harsh or hard way. I see that watching TV is exactly the same as eating something that effects you. Basically both food and TV can take us away from who we truly are, opening us up for any behaviors to come through.
Leigh what you share here really hit home as we are so aware that everything has a cause and effect and to expose a behaviour as something that we call in but is not us.
Exposing this brings a healing and understanding to others.
’When I was living tired and feeling run down, I simply did not have the energy to be discerning with activities like TV and in other areas in my family’s lives.’ – This makes so much sense and goes to show the utter importance of self-love and true self-care, and how it goes hand in hand with responsibility.
This blog is well needed, what we have found is that there are so many factors to consider in this process i.e.: when the T.V is used for what reason/purpose does or is it being watched? When all of this is considered then its very interesting to see that when they watch a movie once every couple of weeks for the right reasons, they come out largely unaffected.
When we are effected by energies that are not of our true nature, life can become quite compacted, dull and stressful. In the grand scheme of things we are blessed with joy every day from what we are and what we have around us, it is a lesson for us to learn how to live and with all that is there.
I have not watched tv for many years now. We do not own a tv. It is no big deal we are now used to it. I feel I am not missing out on anything that is going on in the world because you hear it from others, and that’s not to say I am disconnected to what is going on I am very active on social media and the internet and very much a part of real issues that are effecting us all globally. I have actually gained a lot more out of life by not watching tv. Watching tv does not support my body to relax. I feel my body tense and it is hard work to stay with my breathe and to be with myself. Tv does not truly support me.
I notice I don’t sleep as deeply when I watch TV before bed.
TV is just one of many ‘normal’ things that now dominate our lives, such as recreational drugs, alcohol, massive caffeine consumption, and long hours on the internet – and we have little discernment of what exactly their effects are on us.. If we were to revisit anew and take a fresh look, we could see the insanity of so many things – and this we can do by stopping and fully feeling the effects on our body. A TV marathon never once made me feel light, joyful, alive, alert and expanded.
TV can instantly offers us disconnection, through which we are then unaware of what is in fact being delivered to us through programs, and what effect it has on our well-being and our bodies. There are not many, if any, TV programs that truly support us to connect to who we are but rather calls us to escape from feeling the truth of the quality in which we are living our lives.
There is no doubt that TV has a hooking energy which stimulates disconnection. I have experienced this also myself many times, before I was aware of what was happening. I can remember coming home from work, tired and late, and on a regular basis turning on the TV to ‘relax’. Instead of relaxing I would get emotionally hooked in to what I was watching and stay up far too late to watch the ’end’ of the show/s. It would then take me a while before I could get to sleep as I was restless and clearly mentally stimulated. This was completely dishonoring of what my body and I truly needed and left me far too often feeling unrested when I woke up. I now do not watch TV, have not for a few years and can feel a huge difference in my quality of sleep when I instead tune in to my body and what is needed to truly support myself to wind down before bed.
This is such an important point, Leigh, that I can relate to completely. When my kids were young I used to plop them down in front of children’s tv so that I could attend to other things, but in hindsight I was making life more challenging for us all, as the knock on effects took a long time to clear. By honouring the sensitivity of our children (and ourselves) we can stay more steady and consistent in the day and have less ripples (or tsunamis) to deal with.
When advertising companies pay millions for you to see a short clip about their product, knowing the effect it will likely have, how can we then dismiss that a whole movie, TV show or video game that is violent or abusive, is not effecting us all, adults and children alike. Is it that we are far to attached to our programs – I know the momentary escape watching a good movie can bring, feeling caught up and connected with the story and the emotions it makes you feel. If we are relying on TV to bring us this, then of course we are not going to want to consider that maybe it has far more of an effect on us and our choices and behaviour than we would like to see.
This is the key isn’t it – “What Serge has shown me is that love of myself is needed first and foremost. I have now come to understand that this love, once chosen, simply expands to having a deep love for others in my life.” I find this too, the more I am connected to myself and the more I feel the love for myself within, the more this emanates out and the reflections become just awesome. Staying in this love that we are may proof at times really challenging, the trick is to not get hooked into something that comes from someone where we can really see it is not truly them, but an energy they have allowed to express through them.
Awesome sharing Leigh, and one that many many people will be able to relate to. We had very limited TV time when our kids were growing up, and the programmes were carefully chosen. Yet some of the kids programmes also carry energies that are detrimental to their well-being, something that we can all become more aware of to support the children in learning discernment as to what and why they want to watch certain programmes.
TV is the baby sitter for a lot of parents, many do not realise how damaging this is for their kids, others just do not care. This is a much needed article to raise awareness of how harming TV is for all. I know I did not know this until the last couple of years when I realised how addicted I was to watching a show every evening and how I used TV to check out . Now I do not watch it at all and do not miss it either…much better things to do
Too true… tv screens and smartphones have become far too convenient for parents to use as babysitters. I know I did it to a certain extent, but now it feels as if it has got out of hand and there is a danger of the quality of relationships suffering as a consequence.
I have recently being watching more TV than usual because of the Olympics. I was able to observe how emotional the commentators were and also the athletes, especially if they didn’t win a medal. A friend of mine said she actually cried when she watched the final hockey match. There is a lot more coming through our screens than we choose to admit.
So true Debra for we must never ever forget that our children of today are our adults of tomorrow.
This is a super observation Leigh and something we should pay more attention to especially with our young. There are so many screens that young people occupy themselves with these days, not only the TV. With parents being so busy, and fear around letting them play out, I feel the problem is getting worse.
It’s super important to discern what we encourage or allow our children to watch, read or listen to because as you’ve shared they really do observe/take in everything thus they can act differently based on what they’re seeing others do.
So true, I have observed children act out what they have been watching on TV or reading in books, they are sponges concerning energy and messages that are being feed through different media. As adults we also can get drawn into this ourselves if we are not clocking what is going on. We are all fed messages in every moment, what we choice to take on, and communicate ourselves is either from a position of discernment or not, this is something that we can and have a responsibility to support our children to be aware of and practice themselves.
Yes that is true and I feel it is not just for children to be mindful of but for adults too, it is equally as harming…
We are all vessels of the energy we choose, children are so open and they are literally like radio transmitters, if we do not support them to know that they can choose to take on or not take on energetic impositions that they encounter, how do we truly support them. There is nothing spooky, strange or new age about this…if a child encounters anger, sadness, grumpiness, they do feel it and so as parents and carers do we talk about how they respond to it. The observation of life, knowing that they are good enough as they are, they have a foundation of love within is an essential and basic requirement that will see the children flourish and is currently very much under-appreciated or practiced.
I am a parent, and I have observed this with TV, music, parties, friends, school, food, people….I have also challenged it and not allowed it to go, do we only live with what we see, there is so much that we all feel, I am learning to honour more what I feel. For me love comes first more often than it did, and that observing and reading a situation allows me to feel the energetic choices that are occurring. It is a conversation that I have with my children, we talk energy, we talk choices, they know they are wise and loving, and in our relationship we are building our responsibility and awareness of our choices.
I too used TV as a babysitter when my daughter was young because I felt so depleted but on reflection can feel that it increased her neediness so backfired on both of us. Increasing the level of self-love in my daily life has improved my quality of life immeasurably and given me more discernment about how I and others are affected by outside influences. For me it has been a gradual process and one that requires continuing openness to what is constantly being revealed and a willingness to act on it.
Great article Leigh, as it highlights the seemingly harmless effects of the TV shows we allow our children to watch, and if we are honest relying on the TV to babysit our kids when we need to get on with other things.
Great questions that you pose and we all need to take responsibility for what we allow in our homes and support not just children but adults as well to recognise the damaging effects of TV and how lost we can get when we watch it. It is scary how quickly someone can change but even if it is not so obvious what I increasingly found was how drained I felt after watching TV and how it was like I went into a trance and ended up watching it for much longer than I intended. No longer having a TV I can still find I get caught out surfing the net or by the energy on a platform like Facebook.
As a parent myself I have definitely witnessed similar reactions in my children after watching certain programs on TV, and similar reactions in myself also! It is easy to see TV as a passive thing that we can switch off in front of and relax but it is my experience that what is closer to the truth is that it is no different from having a conversation with someone and there is an energetic impact that we need to become more aware of.
TV is embedded with hooks to pull us in. It has become one of those excepted addictions we have chosen and allowed into our life. As with any addiction that we allow to fill something within us from something outside of us we can become isolated from the world we live in.
‘ Our children are very sensitive beings and are affected by what is going on around them, all of the time’. If we were all to stop for a moment, parents, teachers, aunties and uncles and all grandparents on this truth, we would all be so much more responsible.
I agree Leigh, there are many, many programs aired on tv that are not suitable for children or for families living together. And once we start to be discerning over something like the tv, and realise the impact it is having on us all, it becomes more easier to be discerning in other areas in our life too.
Reading your blog Leigh reminded me that switching on and watching TV is not necessarily a harmless activity but one that must be chosen with discernment. A few months ago after watching TV for half an hour with my partner we both realised we had lost the deep quality of connection we had felt together during our day. We can think that watching TV with others is something that brings people together but in this instance we found the opposite and had lost the intimacy we had earlier shared. We switched the TV off and after talking about it agreed to be more discerning about when we chose to put TV on and what we felt when watching it.
What you describe here Leigh in the reaction of the boy sounds like someone reacting on a drug withdrawal, isn’t it? Very Interesting!
I for myself watched TV all of my life as soon as I can remember, mostly around 5 hours per day. It was ‘normal’ to use it in the evening to wind down or if I was tired and not willing to ‘do’ something. Now, since a few weeks I renounced watching TV and have a look how this goes, what effects this has on my life. Till now I can say:
-I talk more with my partner and also the depth of our conversations has deepened. We sometimes just sit together still and feel each others company and then look at each other and smile…our connection did become finer, more graceful, I would say.
-I realize a deep tiredness/exhaustion in my body and did find out how energizing it is to have a deep rest with just feeling me and my body, or go for a gentle walk, feeling nature around and connected to me.
-As I am ill and at home in the moment I am tempted to put the TV on – just sometimes….but when I do so I feel it is like an addiction. Not easy to stop again and very draining.
-I had to realize that I watch TV to avoid taking responsibility – be it about my tiredness, how to energize again, to feel what is needed now and be the one who can do it …and so on. But also I avoid the responsibility to accept and appreciate me. When I sit down and do not watch TV but feel my body instead and nominate why it does feel like it does, I see my day and my choices. It is like I make solid what I’ve done/expressed so far and from here I can build on. I develop.
-I had to admit that I used TV to escape from life and its laws, to get me a little break from responsibility, but this is based on a picture of responsibility that is not true. Responsibility is a blessing and a joy and by ’taking a break’ I did withhold myself from enjoying and developing me as well.
Sandra the observations and learnings you have discovered are very similar to this that I too realised when I stopped watching TV. What I found particularly interesting is that I returned to watching it for half an hour of an evening and it completely changed the flow of my evening. It immediately put a pressure on me to fit around the program. In realising how I had given away my routine for a TV program I again I stopped again and have no desire to return to watching TV.
The influence and impact on us by what comes through the TV is not generally appreciated or understood. What a difference there would be in family dynamics if the discernment that is illustrated in this article was widely practiced.
Leigh this blows me away, its obvious yet reading the detail of how the child was affected is a big wake up call to look at why TV is used and what the consequences are. The part I also loved was how there was no residual effect after the boy came back to himself, it shows that with connection and love not only can anything be healed but there is no need to hold onto anything from the past. A way that we would all be wise to be inspired by.
The sad thing is we can now take television or computer games not just into our homes but everywhere we go. Our phones and iPads become our portable televisions on planes, buses and trains, in prams and restaurants. We have become lazy parents as we allow children to use the screen as it seems like the easy option but is it really when you have to pick up the pieces of the aftermath of television?
Have you ever tried to talk to a child who is sitting in front of the television? It is literally like speaking to a brick wall, there is simply no response and if you do get a response or turn the television off to get a response then the behaviour is like that of a different child.
Reflecting on my own experience of life prior to now there is a pattern of behaviour whenever the source of us being able to check out is challenged, whether this is TV, drink, drugs, computers, over working, study etc. Once we are in these behaviour we really don’t like being exposed and do not want to let them go. Such is the hold that they come to have over us and our own arrogance being fed to keep us there.
A blessing for the child and mother that you witnessed this change in behaviour and were a steady and loving presence that held the space and supported both to regain balance. The sad thing is much of what you witnessed and responded to goes unnoticed in many families. TV programmes have become increasingly ugly: violent, manipulative, sexual, aggressive, this is not the TV I remember as a child. Producers and commissioning editors continue to push boundaries of what is acceptable and if no one challenges quality and content… where will it end.
A great article on many accounts Liegh. We have let TV run our lives without choosing to be aware of how it can affect us. We put children in front of the TV so that we can get things done or have a 20 minute break but we are not fully aware of the energies that we are allowing them to be affected by. The changes that happened to the little boy are more common than we would like to admit, so it is great to have the effects of TV exposed.
You raise a hugely important and rarely considered fact Leigh. This is rather pertinent given that the levels of abuse in domestic situations is going through the roof and is getting more and more aggressive, sinister and harming. Coupled with this is the fact that TV is on in many homes nearly all the time. So given your example, would TV and the energy that is coming through it these days, be potentially contributing to the domestic abuse and proceeding family dysfunctions that most are experiencing today?
Joshua, you raise a very needed conversation. One that could potentially change the lives of many. First though we would have to acknowledge that the way many live with lives centered around viewing the TV is addictive and greatly influences our connection with the people in our house hold. I can remember feeling agitated and annoyed if another wanted to talk to me when I was watching the TV. What is now quite astounding to realise, is that I saw this to be normal, as I had felt the same in my family home whilst growing up. So yes I do feel that TV and what comes with it could and would affect the level of abuse that is prevelant in homes today.
An amazing article and observation about what we absorb and allow into our homes and our bodies. Television has so much effect simply switching it on to chill out numb out and allow whatever we see to play havoc inside us with out true discernment and responsibility.Simply choosing not to watch TV is something i have got to all after realising the effect it has on my body also.This incident you highlight is common and the cause of much violence attacks and simple observations of unsettlement and not being ourselves and it is great to bring attention to,Thank you Leigh.
‘When my children were little, if they behaved this way when they were tired, I would have simply written it off as their being tired and that I had to just put up with the behaviour until they went to bed.’ I am sure that the majority of parents do the same and to open to the possibility that TV can affect us in this way is an eye opener. I know for myself that I didn’t want to admit how TV made me feel when I watched it, or that the programs I saw would be on my mind all day making me less focused, clear and present during the day.
Very revealing Leigh. When we ask the question: would we invite someone we don’t know into our house to tell stories to our young children without paying attention to what they are being told? The answer would be: How irresponsible. No I wouldn’t do that. But most of us have done it.
Yes Mary we have, through turning on the TV.
Your sharing certainly allowed me to stop and consider the truth of what you offer. Thank you.
I like that comparison, that’s exactly what it is……amazing. We would not let strangers into our houses, telling our children stories, but we choose to be ignorant of the fact that the energy of many people we don’t know come through on the screen and do affect us and our children. Once we allow ourselves to become more aware again and to feel the intent and to ‘read between the lines’, we can better discern what is relatively safe to watch and what not. And the question then comes up HOW am I watching? To numb out and ‘relax’ in the first place, or do we choose to stay present and feel and keep discerning constantly?
When we are not connected mind and body we can be affected by outside influences-negative energy.
This not only occurs from TV, but also music we listen to, watching a film at the cinema, reading an email etc.
Thanks to Serge Benhayon, at Universal Medicine, I now know that energy is constantly passing through us, which determines our next movement or what we will say- so which energy do we choose?
To me we all know what TV is bringing into our homes and we use TV mainly for relief or from a habit that we have allowed to create itself. But it comes down to be honest with the fact that what we know deep inside and when we can do that we will be much more discerning on when we will turn on the TV or not.
Great to expose the negative impact TV can have on our children who are very sensitive and open to being affected -just like your living example . It is not OK to accept abusive behaviour directed towards you when you know it is not loving and normal behaviour. Great to see by being still and openhearted you were able to discern that clearly it was an energy entering the child that caused his negative behaviour, and not his natural nature, which is to be loving and tender.
We will be at the mercy of many daily activities in life if we choose to ignore the effects they have.
Well said, Luke. It’s as simple as that… we can justify all we like, but we are just choosing to ignore the effects of how we are continuing to harm ourselves and others around us.
Understanding that everything is energy, as parents, it is our responsibility to be very discerning about what our children are watching. As you share, Leigh, what we watch on TV, energetically, not only affects us, but everyone around us.
Awesome blog, Leigh, thank you. I can really feel how ‘checked out’ I can become when watching TV, to the point that when the commercials are on, I can’t recall what I have just seen …. that’s pretty scary and makes me question how effective TV advertising actually is! I don’t watch much TV anymore and if I do, it’s because it’s something I am choosing to watch, as opposed to turning the TV on and picking the ‘best’ of what’s on offer.
I can certainly relate to everything you have said Leigh and it is an issue that I have the honor of experiencing, I say honor, because it involves us truly walking our talk on love. This is an issue that is affecting millions of if not all families in Hong Kong and many parts of the world, and one which we have written off as being “normal”. When my son is affected from the energy of games and TV, I know that is not him in-truth, as I am a connected woman with deep awareness and there is no way anyone or anything can convince me that to be my son, someone I am also deeply connected with for the last 12 years. What we have built, both our connection as well as the habit of allowing TV to be watched and games to be played without supervision in the past, opens up the conversation and deeper livingness and responsibility of what love is. I have tried every way to take away TVs, throwing game consoles to the garbage bin, staying firm, but have found that for us here, it is like jumping from A to Z and skipping all the alphabets in between thinking we would then learn the complete alphabet! Of course that did not work. Love needs to be built, especially in an environment where there is a very strong force collectively that supports lovelessness. We cannot change a consciousness overnight, and we are not trying to, but to understand that such a consciousness exists because of a deep lack of love, we can understand and allow this love to be felt, and thus slowly build and warm up the cold of our hearts. There is no destination in this, but in building and deepening my own love for myself, it has deepened the relationship with my son, which allows us both to express more how such imposing energies such as from TV and from games affect us and with what we have felt as loveliness between us, we simply know the difference and it is our choice to choose when we feel ready to.
I have seen this so many times over both in myself and in my kids. It is hard to spot unless you choose to be honest about how you felt before you watched the program but once you spot it the behaviour stands out clear as day.
Great article Leigh. We are constantly choosing what we do and don’t invite into our homes and into our families; and television is just one of these things. It is also in the food we buy, the activities we choose, the quality we live in, the behaviours we allow and don’t allow. The home environment can be disrupted greatly by outer energies, if we don’t make it firstly a supportive place that nurtures who we are; and thus provides a marker of how to hold that in the world.
This is a great example Leigh… I wonder how many parents experience this with their kids but just put it down as a normal thing kids do. How different the world is when we start feeling and thinking it terms of energy. It all just makes sense..
A great Blog Leigh. Timely reminder to always be discerning of what energy your allowing. every choice matters and influences the way we live.
This is a very important topic because television has become such a dominant form of entertainment in our lives. I find TV mesmerising and I know that it affects my energy levels and my commitment to other things. I may have planned to do something but will end up watching something on TV instead. So I know I need to be careful because although I won’t be swearing at everyone, I know I am sometimes affected so that I will not have the energy to have a conversation that may be important, or I may not have the patience that I will normally have. I have noticed that my mood can be affected in other ways too. Because I am an adult I have become a master at containing the effects of TV. Is this good? Absolutely not. The energy I use to cover up or suppress how TV has left me feeling is the energy I could have used for something more valuable. There is another question worth asking too. Why do we need constant entertainment? I love feeling the joy of my life. TV takes me away from this. If there is less joy to feel maybe this should be examined.
Our TV is in the garage and hasn’t been used for 2 years. One day I might sell it :).
A great blog exposing the capacity of how any screen time affects a person, particularly small children. A degree of detachment to ourselves happens, and through this can come a barrage of influenced behaviour that disturbs the natural state of being.
It’s so great to bring awareness to the harmful effect that TV and also video games can have on children. I have a friend who realised his child had a tantrum only on the evenings he was allowed to play video games that morning, when the gaming stopped so did the tantrums. With this kind of awareness you can loving adjust accordingly to what will support them the most… not a big deal when you consider the fact that we have entertained ourselves for countless decades before TV and the like and had a blast doing it.
Everything leaves its impact and TV is certainly no exception; I observed a young girl on social media on her mobile recently and how cold and distant she felt and talked after about an hour of this. Like the little boy in your blog, she wasn’t herself anymore and the kind of interaction she had been having had left its mark on her. Is it time we wake up to the fact that everything is energy first before it manifests physically?
Thank you for sharing Leigh, I totally agree with all that you have said.
There is so much more going on with our kids then what we think. To me, one of the most important things is communication and asking them or giving them space to express how they are feeling. Society has this twisted view that kids don’t know what they are talking about or are somehow less then adults. From observing other peoples children they are all extremely wise and understanding of life. It’s up to us to allow them to feel that they already know and express what it is.
I see TV as an excuse not to connect. Even now, without having a TV in my home, if want to disconnect I will watch a movie or something – like having time out. But what do I need time out for and from? I have experimented with staying connected and not getting caught up in the emotional hooks that most movies have, but find it difficult. Especially to not absorb what is going on, that’s tricky, sometimes I even think about the characters well after the movie and find the disconnection continues by staying in my head watching parts of the movies over again. I always question if it’s really worth the time out moment.
Hi Rachael, I would have denied this point a while back, but its really valid. Instead of connection it can be easy to choose TV and whilst there are exception in the main TV is something that I used to use to fill space, to distract and to reward but that also meant I didn’t spend that time connection, talking, sharing and expressing how I was really feeling.
Most tv programs are produced to capture all your attention and rely on you becoming absorbed in the program so that you are willingly drawn to coming back to watching it the next time and the next etc. It’s truly lovely observing our children outside playing with each other or on their own being involved in their own game or sitting down and playing with them or them wanting to help you in the kitchen or in whatever you are doing. But lets be honest, is it easier to put them in front of the tv. than be bothered supporting them learn how to help therefore choosing to watch them turn into zombies and then when it is time for them to have their dinner or bath or whatever the pleading starts to just finish watching the program and becoming very upset when not allowed to or the parent gives in because it is ‘easier’ but is it really? Are we not setting them up to have false perceptions of life, how they should look, act and be? What did children do and for that matter parents do before there was tv? Maybe we should try not having a tv to find out. We may even get to develop a deeper relationship with each other or is tv used unconsciously as a way of us choosing to avoid that and would we prefer to have more of a relationship with the tv than each other? It’s the choice we have.
Leigh Strack thank you for raising our levels of responsibility when we are parenting our young and the effects that they like all of us are exposed to through the onslaught of media and other areas of technology. We can take for granted how we use TV and other forms of entertainment to unwind, give us a few min to relax or even to take a break but its this time that can lead to even more anxiousness for the family in the long run and brings the disharmony that we never thought could possibly come from simply turning on the TV.
Discernment is needed in TV program timing and selection. In the mornings I have observed that it leads to arguments because kids can zone out rather than preparing themselves for school, thus leading to tensions at the last minute. I have seen kids get very frightened by something presented on a show rated for children so I do not feel that the TV should be the nanny … sit and watch some programs with them and feel how they responding. It’s also useful to see the values that are being presented and discern if they are aligned to a harmonious community.
Very well said – there is far more going on with our children or with us in our day than simply things like fatigue or hunger – we are constantly feeling and if we don’t hold steady and allow ourselves to feel, then we are also taking stuff on from outside which affects us. We don’t make it enough of our every day lives to have discussions where behaviour and situations is put down to more than just the mundane existence but to the deeper level of talking about how we feel and were effected in our day.
Leigh your observation without judgement was the reflection the mother was able to hear, bringing understanding to the energy that caused the tsunami and such a change within the child. . What a simple offering but as we know has a profound impact in our lives.
Our family used to sit down after dinner and watch TV under the illusion that we were spending quality time ‘together’ when in truth what we really did was switch off and shut each other out. We all sat there with our eyes glued to the screen without speaking and if anyone did try to speak (usually an adult) they were very quickly told to ‘pipe it down’. Interesting to note that TV is regarded as one of our most popular telecommunication devices in our modern day homes worldwide when, in fact, it is well known and commonly recognised that it actually breaks down any real or true communication.
The tv has a big effect on everyone, the energy that can be taken on is destructive. And keeping us away from who we truly are. I can feel the deep responsibility in discerning what to watch and let ourselves be affected by.
This is a great sharing, how we invite TV into our homes, how programmes cannot effect our moods and the moods of our children. Often I use to wonder why my children I know behave the way they did, but now it makes sense if they where exposed energy from the TV that would have unbalanced them. I will sure to be sharing this blog with others.
It is easy to underestimate the impact of TV, electronic equipment, music and cyber games have on us. There are many layers behind what we are participating in and energetically if we are not aware then this can go unnoticed and be excused by blaming being tired, blaming things outside of us or different stresses and pressures. Living continually with these imposing energies can mean the impact is not picked up and the effects they are having. This a great blog bringing more awareness, and perfect for readers to bring discussion around – thanks Leigh
This blog shows beautifully the importance of discerning in every moment of our lives regarding the energetic quality of everything. Television is so accepted as a part of our lifestyle that it almost goes without question. With mainstream acceptance of programmes with graphic violent and sexual content, prevalent objectification of women and every opportunity possible to provide the watcher with an opportunity to switch off from the day to day life and indulge in the programmes provided the effect of not being aware of this, as clear here, can be extreme and changes the way people behave.
As an adult I have never lived with a TV. I have always found them quite imposing. When they are on it is as though the whole room is sucked in. The energy that they permeate the room with is quite intense and unavoidable. Clarity in the home is something that is important to me, and a TV makes that all the more difficult.
Very true Nikki, I find that too, it is distracting and racy and very imposing. I have some friends whose first move in the morning is to switch on the TV, then the Radio – it feels like mayhem in that home. So may families have their TV on all day long – and the children are unsettled and the energy in the house is anything but calm or supportive. Children do feel this clearly, as I have observed often they get up and move outside , yet still the TV stays on…
“He even told me that I hated him, to which I replied very steadily, “I love you dearly.”
Is this not the key to life? All too often when we hear such harsh and untrue words we get incited to react in a way that sees us enjoin with this abuse rather than to stand steady in the face of all that is not love so as to hold the love for another to return to. This is a work in progress for me and well worth the effort! Great example Leigh.
Yes Liane, I do feel that it is a key to life, that many miss, including myself when I get caught in reacting, a key that needs to be lived and discussed more. For being held with love is something we all dearly want. It is also something we all have the ability to do for another, when we first hold ourselves with our love.
I really do believe that this example of Leigh’s is the key to life. The alchemy of transforming energy with love. We can all do this, we have these opportunities every minute of our lives. If we all did this, well that’s the sort of world I want to live in. Imagine the return on investment!
This is a great topic Leigh and one that many people do not have. Yet, if we were to pay attention we would all realise the truth of it. When my son watched a DVD or uses a screen of any kind his behaviour afterwards is quite different. I do not ban him from using screens but we do monitor it and talk about the effects of screens. There is indeed a responsibility that comes with TV watching.
Thank you Leigh, this is a truly great observation of the way we get played by energies we do not even know exist for we cannot see them with our naked eye. It is this sort of acute observation that is so needed, married with true love and deep understanding and care for each other, in order for us to arise out of the dizzy whirlwind of emotions we can all get so caught up in and that leave us at war with each other and deep within ourselves. Just as the ingredients in the foods we consume affect our bodies so to do the images, music, TV shows etc. we consume also affect the degree to which we feel settled or not in our bodies and thus in our homes, the world and with each other.
Yes and with computer games the effect is even worse.
Thank you for reminding me of what I already know but often turn a blind eye too. I don’t own a tv and proud to say I never have but the same thing can happen from watching programs on the laptop and this is where I often do not take responsibility as a parent and I get the repercussions all of the time.
When we have reacted to life we cannot see what is truly going on in our lives – its like we are looking at life through coloured glasses. We don’t want to feel our reactions so we check out in front of TV, and in this way we aren’t discerning of the energies coming through the program we are watching and how it is affecting us.
Observing life is such a simple thing to do and yet can have such a powerful impact. By you observing what was going on with this child Leigh you were able to see what was playing out, and not react but respond in a loving way.
What are we letting into our homes through TV is a great question. I always used to mute the ads because they felt very obviously assaulting. We could say the same for any media screen really. Awareness brings a greater discernment.
Thank you for sharing Leigh, I love how even when confronted with a barrage of insults, anger and hate you knew it was not his true nature & held steady and loved him dearly. It goes to show that love has the power and wins through. It also shows we are affected by what is being broadcast, without realizing it. Like you say there is no cause for alarm but must be discerning.
Thank you Leigh, for highlighting such an important topic. We have the opportunity to discern what is the quality of the TV that we are watching but also what is the purpose or quality we are watching TV with. I know at times that I zone out in front of the TV after work because I have taken on too much intensity of the day. But in reality watching TV checked out like this may only add to the level of disconnect I feel to myself and life.
Parents who are tired and frayed by what they feel are the rigours of life often choose the relief of having the TV on to keep the children quiet and initially it keeps them transfixed. But I’ve felt the energy of many children’s programmes and it causes great unease; a great stirring of emotions so, like you found, when the TV is switched off the children are left with these uncomfortable, strong concoction of emotions. It seems easier to crave more than feel the discomfort of having out of control energy running around the body. Seems an easier option to let the TV programmes or gaming continue than deal with emotional children when the parent was tired or emotional themselves in the first place than spend some lovely time just being and completing jigsaw puzzles.
The pattern here you’ve exposed of what energy is allowed in our homes through TV is something I know I will be talking about. Just because something is classed as being for children doesn’t mean it is fit for anyone let alone sensitive young beings.
So much to love about this blog Leigh. The standout for me today is the solid foundation that you had built for yourself which then allows you to not be sucked into the ‘drama’ that is unfolding but to stay steady, ‘read’ what is going on around you, bring love to the situation but also the truth and then the people and the situation around you have the choice to come back to themselves or not. In this case, they did and the truth of the situation was allowed to be seen by all – as how much TV can effect us (or anything really).
I resisted having a TV for years and especially when I had my children, but they were not very old when my brother in law offered us his old one and my husband accepted it. My heart sank and I protested in vain. I noticed how the whole dynamic of the family changed and I got sucked into its influence and use despite my antipathy to it. I stopped taking responsibility for being with my children at times when they obviously most needed my attention, and my husband used it as a replacement for spending quality time with them by sitting them on his knee to watch a programme,they could not possibly find enjoyable, together. I always felt we chose to let it split our family apart.
What a great awareness you share Leigh. What a revelation to be able to connect the moments when someone’s behavior changes with the activity that is going on. What is an even great awareness is to know it isn’t the person in their essence. So many things come at us in every day and it’s essential to feel whether the unseen things that it comes with in the form of the energy and intention behind it is to support humanity to connect to love or harm by contracting us away from our innate loveliness. This experience you share describes this so clearly.
Televison, like everything else is energy and has an impact on us. I have felt that for a very long time and have chosen not to have or watch TV for many years as I would notice that I would feel dull when I watched it or even around it. I have also found TV to be a social killer. I find choosing to connect with those in my household a much more beautiful and intimate thing to do then to sit down and watch TV together.
“Kids eh?” How many of us would see the scenario you describe Leigh and shrug our shoulders, put it down to a ‘badly behaved kid’. Isn’t it interesting that we don’t readily see the link you make clear between the actions and what we consume and watch? Perhaps because if we are more honest about this, our own actions, words and movements everyday are manipulated and influenced in the same way? What if we are as delicate and precious as the young boy you describe? To me, that goes a long way to explaining the crazy way we behave.
Now that I have returned to the understanding that my own and everyone else’s true nature is to naturally express with love, joy and harmony, I can more easily see the changes with me and others in various situations, such as you witnessed in your friend’s young boy. Everything is energy and we are fundamentally affected by energy. TV and music are two areas where we seem to be very unconscious of this impact. Deepening our understanding of this brings a whole new level of empowerment and responsibility.
Leigh, what you have shared is so relevant for all of us as TV is just such a “normal” in most of our homes. We used to watch the news every night on TV, often having a meal in front of the TV. For the last year we have seldom turned it on and the energy in our home is very different. TV is a major way that we checked out as a family. We did not have meaningful communication with each other and it added little quality to our lives. If we watch anything now which is seldom it is chosen with discernment.
“A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives, and a commitment to allowing us to be honest and to connect to how a programme leaves our family, and ourselves, feeling after watching it.” Yup, you’re so right with this. It’s something I know but have been burying my head in the sand about because I enjoy watching TV. But if I’m honest, I often feel grumpy, frustrated or exhausted after having watched something.
“I know for myself that TV was a great babysitter for when I needed to get things done in the house, but now I really wonder if this was truly the case!” I never saw it that way but it is actually a way of babysitting children by putting them in front of the TV. Therefor it is very important to discern what the TV is babysitting them with. Most programs I saw on TV when I was younger really scared me even though they were children’s programs. It is more than just the images, it is also the energy in the program that has an effect on how we feel after watching TV I have found.
Amazing observational blog Leigh. TV, like most music, can have a poisonous energy. Seeing the instant reaction from your young friend was very palpable. I have observed similar reactions after children’s parties – after too much sugar and junk foods. Something that needs to be discussed by parents and society today.
I agree Sue, recently I was travelling on a very crowded train coming back from a resort. The children in my carriage were over excited and active and unable to quieten down. Yet obviously they had had a long full day and were probably really tired. At the time, after having observed all the ice creams and sticks of rock, sticky cakes and chocolate bars on sale and being consumed at the resort, I felt they had been drugged and were on a high. I observed they were acting up and not really naturally playful. There is now a move to expose the dangers of sugar to emotional and physical health, but having seen the mountains of it available everywhere it is going to be a slow change. Sweets are often used as treats and to keep children quiet, just as is the TV. Both either produce zombies or moody, miserable children.
Hmmm… Tv or… Connection? Tv or beautiful warm conversation? Tv or the warm embrace of a loving hug? Is not a supposed hug while you’re checked out on the couch.
As much as I like movies from time to time, the tv itself never gelled with me. In the family home where we congregate at the end of the day to be together a blaring box with emotional drama and music to boot was always a cacophony to me that would physically hurt. The tv unchecked erodes connection and it erodes family. In the silence of the space we otherwise can have we can be with ourselves and hence with each other.
It changes everything when we look at life from the perspective that everything is energy. This approach brings a lot of answers and revelations but it also asks us to be a lot more responsible.
Thank you Leigh. I find this awesome on two counts. One the influence that tv can have over us, something I have become more and more aware of for myself to the point that I rarely watch it at all; and two the fact that when someone is having a rant like the one you describe this child having it is something other than them that we are experiencing. And how inspirational that we can stay calm and centred in all of this and not react or get involved in any way.
This is a great topic to open for discussion Leigh. In my experience with my own children when they were young I restricted them to one 1/2 hour program daily. They seemed to able to handle that as it was late in the afternoon. Never ever did I allow TV in the morning as that was simply asking for a riot. This was their limit for quite a few years as I found that TV unsettled young children quite radically and I have seen this is the case with many children. It is a bit like feeding your children red cordial and watching them go berserk, why do it when you see the harm it causes? . . . besides it is such a nightmare to handle them after the fact.
‘ As parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents and family friends, we all know the children in our lives inside out, and all of us have the responsibility to discern and to understand what is going on in their lives and to sense the activities or experiences that cause them to change.’ – A great discussion to be had Leigh, and it goes for all areas in life. Indeed we are all responsible to stay aware of what is going on for children and youths, and not passive stand by and watch but reflect to them that the energy they are running on is not who they are.
Great example Leigh of just what an impact TV or any form of entertainment can have on us and our bodies and how important it is to be discerning of this. I know for myself that years of watching TV was a way of numbing or escaping myself from ‘everyday life’ and its stresses, a distraction if you like. What I have felt in recent times after viewing a TV program or hearing the radio in the supermarket (as I did today), is just how emotionally driven you can become; there is an imposing nature that comes across I notice and before we know it (if we don’t discern it) we can so easily take that energy on.
This is very true Cherise, what I know from my own experience is that for most of my life I was simply not consciously aware of the fact that what was going on around me was affecting me. I absorbed everything that was there and accepted it as being me. It is a very humbling moment when we allow our stillness to be in our bodies to the degree that we can discern the imposing nature of the likes of TV and Radio. Learning to be in and with our stillness is the education we need world wide.
really well written blog Leigh. Our children (and us as well) are very sensitive to everything, and witnessing the immediate change from watching TV would be quite alarming! Children are very honest and don’t have a lot of filters they simply express the energy that they are in, where as as adults we learn to be ‘behaved’ so we could be effected by so many energies which are coming through so many things but are simply repressing them.
This sentence is actually a red flag Harrison “as adults we learn to be ‘behaved’ so we could be effected by so many energies which are coming through so many things but are simply repressing them”.
How much have we numbed ourselves to in this very real dysfunctional world in which we live? There is great understanding here for where humanity now finds itself and an opportunity to look at our behaviours that hide the ultimate truth we all know and stop repressing them and instead expose them, talk about them and begin to halt them in our lives, rather than going on auto pilot and living life controlled by them.
TV ratings e.g. G, PG, M etc have excused people from taking responsibility for their decisions regarding the shows they watch or allow children to watch. We all need to discern the energy coming through these programs and not set-up loved ones to be hit with the energetic force that comes in through the show. This blog is very real and something that is common particularly as you mentioned Leigh – the TV is often used as an easy option for babysitting.
Great point Christine,
I know that I relied on the ratings of programs when it came to choosing viewing for my children. But these ratings do not discern exactly what energy comes with each program, yet is a major factor in program choice for many.
Television has become such a large part of everyday life it is hard to imagine a world without it, but like anything in life it carries intent and meaning, and so each viewing choice needs to be carefully considered for the quality that it is presenting (that we are inviting into our lives).
What you present, demonstrates the importance of connecting with each other – not only with our children, but with our flatmates, friends, partners, parents. A lot can happen for us in any one day and if we take the time and care to enquire, discuss and be willing to be there for one another, we are less likely to get drawn into a vortex of any mode of distraction or dulling- be that a tv program, the computer, music, eating, video game, unhealthy thoughts and so the list goes on.
I love how you talk about discerning what we “invite into our homes” and with TV we are usually inviting it into our bodies as well, as we absorb much more energetically than we choose to be aware of.
“A level of discernment is needed when it comes to inviting the Television into our lives, and a commitment to allowing us to be honest and to connect to how a program leaves our family, and ourselves, feeling after watching it.” To understand that TV can affect us to the level you describe is not in our awareness. It is brilliant you have written about it as a topic for discussion. I would say that it is probably true most of us are aware of how computer games affect us and our children, but we haven’t applied the same understanding to TV…Perhaps this is because our lives are so crafted round TV that we dare not go there?
I remember feeling similarly affected when I watched TV. It is a great way to check out but we pay a price.
What stood out for me while reading this was that you noticed the changes before the explosion occured. How many of us use that distracted moment of others to carry on with what we are doing?
When we focus on and get distracted by things outside us, needing these outer objects, screens and programs is when we forget that connecting to people and ourselves is far richer.
The non-judgmental way you responded to this incident would have been very freeing for both the mother and the child. The fact that you knew that the energy the child displayed was not them, in essence, allowed them to come back to their essence. This is what is needed when people are ‘not themselves”.
I agree Elizabeth, it is inspiring to read how Leigh was able to simply ‘read’ the situation and therefore not get drawn into the potential emotion of the moment. Reading situations is a great way of understanding what is going on and this, in turn supports us to remain detached.
When I used to live with a friend who had a TV I would get sucked in whatever was playing on and sometimes would fall asleep in front of it, waking up a couple hours later feeling completely drained of my energy.
What you have shared Leigh is very powerful. TV that is something that has been completely accepted into each home in the guise of harmless entertainment. But what you have shared shows that it is certainly not harmless at all. I grew up watching a lot of TV. Even though my choice is to watch very little now, when I do I can feel how I can get hooked into staying up later, watching another program, even not sleeping well after watching TV. I can also feel how when I watch TV in the evening it stops my body from winding down for bed. Sometimes it feels like I am participating in the show I am watching itself. I have noticed that my body is in a great deal of tension when I watch. This must have to have an effect somewhere down the line.
Thank you Leigh a very supportive sharing which I am sure many will relate to in regards to their children’s behaviour. I remember with my own son when he was around 5/6 that the TV had the effect in an opposite way in that he would seem zombified afterwards. This seemed like an attractive option at the time for occasional use especially for me because usually at the end of school he was very tired and behaviour not great. However I can see looking back that this ease was for myself as I didn’t want to look at what was really going on as I was tired too due to a lack of self care.
It was great you were able to stay with yourself and be steady; and present this to the little one and not go into reaction. In how many households would this situation have turned into a argument so this alone shows us something. If we hold the space in love and do not react it allows the other person to let go of what has affected them and to come back to who they truly are. Also this is a great point you have made ‘When I was living tired and feeling run down, I simply did not have the energy to be discerning with activities like TV and in other areas in my family’s lives.’ There are many many mothers and families that feel this, are tired, have lots to do and do not know or have the energy to truly discern how things like television are affecting their child/ren. This is definietly a discussion we should be having.
Thank you for this gorgeous blog Leigh. I have not had a television for a year now and I don’t miss it at all. Now when I watch something on my computer I can instantly feel if it is draining me and most things do. I used to think that TV relaxed me but now I can feel it is more an assault on the senses so I can understand why a 6 year old would be affected in the way you describe.
Isn’t that interesting Leonne and to quote you “I used to think that TV relaxed me, but now I can feel it is more an assault….”, almost like how cigarette smoking once was revered and purported to be accepted as a way to ‘relax’ one, but in hindsight (not that I ever smoked), and with further research and understanding it has also been found to be an ‘assault’. So where do these belief systems come from that insidiously hook one into believing that to be ‘relaxed’ is the ultimate purpose in this life. Surely these beliefs come from outside of us, passing through, but are not from within us. How harming to choose to allow these beliefs to take hold and to have us dance to its’ tune.
Well said Roberta,
So much of our lives are lived under pressure just so we will have the time to relax. But is it possible to live instead steady purposeful lives where we are not pressured and every part of our life is lived present with our bodies, that me time, or relax time, loses its favour, as we already are still and steady from how we live our life?
It’s interesting to consider where our bodies actually are at if we find tv relaxing especially now as you say Leonne that you can feel the assault of things you watch at times on your computer. The assault is always there it’s just how much we choose to be aware.
Johanna a really great point. For me I find it’s the pull to “check out” so in that state of “check out” I am deliberately trying not to feel the assault of the program. Although that is impossible. I also think that because when I watch TV it’s part of my reward for doing enough that I am not choosing to be truly aware as I’ve already said life owes me a reward, be it TV a chocolate bar or a Vodka and Tonic.
TV has become, as you say, a ‘Normal’ part of our lives so much so that we don’t always notice the effect it has on us. It is very revealing to read this account of a six-year old’s reaction to a TV programme. Certainly as a parent, I sat my children in front of the TV to keep them occupied first thing in the morning, instead of spending time with them. We had hours of cartoons recorded that they loved to watch. I can’t recall how much it affected them because I was living in a very numb way at the time, eating and being active to distract myself from feeling. I no longer have a TV but I do know two things from my own experiences: (1) it is addictive, you can feel so sucked in it’s an effort to turn it off and (2) I had more difficulty sleeping at night after watching TV.
Yes Carmel, the same with me, I used tv to distract myself from living my life – for many years. The consequences were there in my body to feel, and when I used it to numb and distract, it was very difficult to turn the tv off. Now I feel lovely within myself, I don’t even consider turning the tv on in the first place. TV has got nothing to offer me anymore, as I feel more complete within myself than ever. And I prefer to keep working and cultivating this quality within me, than to sit in front of the box, being invaded by all kinds of energies, depending on what the tv presenters or so called stars have been up to in their lives.
We have become so numb to the effects of TV that it is only when we don’t have it that we are aware of how strong the energies can be that come from the programmes and how they can affect us. TV for many is their main source of entertainment and switching off from life and when we do this we are unaware of just how much it affects us. What you share here Leigh can not be denied, and it was great you were able to support the family to see that it was the TV that caused the changes in the young boy, and not the tiredness that we can so easily put it down to.
“TV – What is it Bringing Into our Homes” is a huge question one that every person should ask, I know myself after watching a programme or the news I can feel disturbed and have thoughts that are definitely not mine. As we currently have more behavioural problems and more mental health issues now more then ever with our children world wide this is a fantastically urgent question to ask.
Well said Samantha, the mental health issues on the rise are more than enough reason to ask ourselves this question. I used to love watching TV, even if there was nothing on that really interested me; I would still watch, and be annoyed. A lot of time and energy was wasted with this, and it never really inspired me or brought anything worthwhile into my life. Screen time for children is often used as baby sitting. But the cost is much higher than we think, as Leigh’s article clearly shows.
We as a society don’t question what we are inviting into our homes through tv. And we definitely are not reading the affects it has.
It is amazing how much tv can affect the way we are. I used to think it was a great thing to relax in front of but then realised I ended up feeling more tired afterwards! So it had the opposite effect. But it makes sense if say you are watching an action or any movie and what is going on on the tv is affecting the way you breathe, when you jump, get teary etc.. It is like we are living it and so of course it is going to effect our bodies!
A great reminder Leigh of the impact of outside influences when we are not being present with ourselves. TV could be replaced with any screen or anything in our lives that we allow to replace our natural harmony – in fact I would not have even known about the possibility of harmony in my life had I not met Serge Benhayon.
This is true for me too Bernadette. Without serge I would have just accepted the chaos of life as normal along with the tensions I was feeling. Now I know who I am and the harmony that can be lived through moment to moment self responsible choices and feeling everything.