We live in an impatient society that has been formed by decades of instant gratification. One need look no further than the development of the television to understand how this happened.
Once upon a time there existed theaters where actors learned and rehearsed plays that entertained and enlightened the people about the moral dilemmas of our time. As the productions took great time and effort only the most inspiring and worthy scripts were selected. It took multiple captivated audiences spending their hard-earned money to recover the cost of production and salaries of those involved. A bad script, cast, or production could end a play quickly.
An analysis of the people of the day who attended speaks volumes into the society at the time. Hard toiling people who worked their farms, crafts, or shoppes; rarely could afford the luxury of their time or treasure to see any production that was put on. They relied upon the reviews of others to assist in the decision to invest in a moment to entertain or enlighten themselves and their families. Work was set aside for a day to make the journey into town for supplies and entertainment. Schedules were rearranged for the most popular venues as early arrival was a must to ensure that the trip was not made in vain. Productions that eviscerated religious or cultural beliefs were ran out of town and quickly became unviable. Those works that celebrated the hard work and cultural values of the community often became favorites and were invited back year after year.
When motion pictures came about the effortless duplication of efforts by the cast and crew ensured that a production could be ran repeatedly without the financial burden of reproduction. The best takes could be incorporated into the final production which was more polished and could draw a larger audience. But the variation from production to production vanished. Individual tailoring of productions to crowds needs and wants also disappeared. The one-of-a-kind productions that only those in attendance could attest to also ceased to exist. The production, while more polished, lost its individualization. People had more flexibility on when they could attend as a show might run for a few weeks or a month. The ultimate cost of attendance was reduced with multiple runs and a wider audience attended. The unique experience dwindled and the effort to attend was reduced.
Over time the odds of watching a production that seemed like a waste of time or pushed the boundaries of cultural acceptance increased. By the time television rolled out many had already accepted that this happened from time to time. But the convenience of a big box in the center of the family room captivated America. On top of that there were three channels to choose from. If you did not like one production you could simply switch by getting up, walking to the television, turning the channel, and adjusting the rabbit ears. The cost of production also decreased as the camera could only capture so much. The need to build elaborate sets for each scene decreased as production facilities contained buildings, stages, and scenes that could be used over and over for multiple productions. The odds of watching something offensive or a waste of time increased again as the populace settled into the magic of having a choice without leaving your home outweighed quality.
Cable TV swept through the nation like a storm. You could watch uncensored versions of movies and the lineup of available channels dramatically increased. On top of it all the invention of the remote control meant that you did not even have to send the youngest across the room to change the channel. Beautiful people were selling products to people who did not need them twenty-four hours a day and rock stars were playing to the masses on other channels. The quantity of content exploded while the quality nosedived. Often people found themselves switching channels endlessly into the night searching for something to watch only to land on a show with half naked people or watching hours of “as seen on tv” products until sleep overcame the individual in a recliner.
The age of the internet hit the world like a tsunami. Waves of media professionally and personally produced ensured that anything and everything that a person wanted to watch was available. The vast majority of it all was of course garbage, but access to entire seasons of episodes all at once erased any unease the anyone might have felt. The ultimate convenience of it all meant that everyone in the entire family from toddler to grandparent could watch whatever they wanted in the palm of their hand in any location in the house. The family dynamic finally succumbed to it all for the vast majority of America.
Now, as some of us wake up to our awful situation and realize how society has fallen into a cesspool of pornography, violence, dishonesty, and corruption we look for the right channel to watch to get it all back. We are looking for someone to tell us what to do and how to do it. Surely the device in our hand must have the capacity to do that right? We have become so used to it as a crutch of information that we turn on the GPS to get around a town where we were born and raised. Hardly any of us can remember phone numbers or important information anymore as we do not exercise the grey matter between our ears.
If you are reading this on such a device then I will propose the first baby step to liberty that I believe we can all take to reclaim our humanity, individuality, and independence. Turn it all off. One day a week make a commitment to turn off the internet and all media. Return to your own humanity and discover the joy of silent thought. Let your brain roam and think and fantasize about whatever strikes it as important. There are so many people today who are looking for a savior in a politician to fix it all. Some even believe that a Convention of States filled with those same politicians can undo two hundred years of sliding into oblivion. We have been conditioned to putting faith in a small device that fits in our hand to fix everything. We desperately desire the quick fix. But we lack the wisdom to understand that this took decades of inaction to fall to this state, and there is not an app on our phones that will fix it.
One day a week make the commitment to tune out, turn off, and try to think for yourself. Take the first baby step to reclaim your liberty. Start relearning how to solve problems with your own wits and brain. It will be awkward at first, even uncomfortable. In time, with perseverance and dedication, you will get better. One day you will even remember what it is like to be a true individual again. Perhaps then we will celebrate our individuality like we used to, instead of trying to make everyone conform.
Wade John Taylor