When I was a kid, various adults referred to the TV set as an Idiot Box. I thought they were being harsh, trying to take away my, and others', simple enjoyment of cheesy Westerns, cheaply made sci-fi flicks, those super sappy sweet variety shows, and the various situation comedies that, for some reason, I spent hours watching after school. All I can say is that, as bad as the latter were, they engaged my attention more than school.

Now, as an adult who has lived without a television set for all of my adult life, I see indeed what those grown-ups of yesterday were saying. TV -- whether it's via "conventional" TV or "modern" streaming -- is indeed an idiot box. Whether you're accessing it on a flat screen, notebook, phone, or a Dick Tracy (remember him? if not, it's okay; he's as forgettable as the rest) watch, you're not getting much in the way of intellectual stimulation, deep thinking analysis, or interactive relationship.

"But I'm tired, and I just want to relax!" is the response. In reality, when we watch the screen, we're in a passive state, our mind as collapsed as our bodies, ingesting actors' words and slick images as readily as the chips we grab from the bag we're holding. Rare is the person who, after an evening of this, pops up out of the chair and announces, "Wow! I feel better! Those programs really made me think, inspired me to do something creative, gave me hope for my future and that of my kids and grandkids!"

We're more tired. We're not relaxed. And we haven't been doing any serious thinking, which is what we really need to do in a world that hurls a message of constant fear, insecurity, anxiety, conformity, and, well, ugliness at us. When do we process the words we're hearing, the images we're seeing, the messages we're getting?

We need time, space, and quiet to think. And the Idiot Box steals that from us.

Quiet Contemplation, original watercolor and art print.