In yesterday's post, I was addressing a question that is essentially about why it is so hard to settle on just one Buddhist practice. One of the reasons that occurred to me is so general that I decided to do a separate post on it.
Why is it so difficult for us to calm our minds? Not just regarding our Buddhist practice, but in everything. Why are we so rarely truly happy, so rarely at ease with ourselves? We have learned that it's because of greed. But why does it seem to be getting so much worse than it was before? Is it just a trick or our memories, or is something going on here?
Of course, there was greed before. Pick up a history book and you'll read all about greed: for wealth, for power, for a multitude of reasons. So what's the difference between then and now?
Television.
With the advent of television, what was to become today's advertising industry had an opportunity to insert themselves into the living room of every person who had disposable income, a criteria neatly met by the presence of the television. Purchase of a television=disposable income. Previously, advertising had been primarily painted on the sides of bars or on simple billboards. Then along came radio, but the effect was still limited.
But with television, visual and audio were combined in ways not previously possible. Advertising was no longer static for movement was added to the audio-visual mix. The new media didn't just say buy a Chevrolet from your local dealer, it showed a happy family driving in their beautiful new, shiny automobile. The implication was clear—buy one of our cars and your family will be the happiest family in the neighborhood. You could "See the USA in your Chevrolet." You could live the American dream. All you had to do was buy something.
Let's fast forward to today. Nielsen Media Research reported that during the 2005-2006 television year, the average American watched television four hours and thirty-five minutes a day. That equates to 20,000 commercials a year! That's more than people decades ago saw in a lifetime.
What's the message of these commercials? Buy me and find happiness. Buy me and be powerful. Buy me and stay young.
Bombarded by all these messages that we have to buy the advertiser's product to have what we want, is it any wonder our minds cannot calm down? That we're never satisfied with what we have? That we're on a never-ending search for today's holy grail—Madison Avenue's hyped dream of happiness.
Want a way to calm down?
Think before you turn on the television. Isn't there a better way to use your valuable time? If you do decide to turn on the TV, head for the good stuff like what is on PBS (educational television). If you watch commercial TV, turn off the sound on the commercials. Don't leave the TV on as background sound to break the silence of being alone. Don't constantly use the TV as an easy baby-sitter for your children. If you do need a short, ocassional break at least select something worthwhile—and commercial free—for them to watch. Keep the TV in the family room, where you can see what the teenagers and younger children are watching.
As with everything you do, choose wisely what you allow into your mind and into the minds of your children.