Well, unlike some who have reviewed this piece, THE PRESIDENT IS THE PROBLEM THAT WILL HAUNT US FOR MANY A YEAR OF REPAIR. But, aside from the flippant mentality of the reviewer, Richard, you have given us a treatise of mending, of healing, of finding truth is what we all need, all desire, whether in our domestic, business, or other personal and creative life. doG, we are so in such a bombastic era. Thank you for bringing so much of what is wrong to our attention in poetic form. Bravo.

interesting read



Never stop writing

m

For as long as I have lived I have never seen a President of the United States being belittled and verbally-abused daily in such a horrible manner by the TV dogs and the heartless dogs of the media. It's so sad that America is about to lose its place on the future map but some continue to live in delusional dreams and be brainwashed by the globalists who just want to form one government to control the world. People are brainwashed by the dogs of the media and the TV!!!

You are wise to stay away from the TV and enter the REAL WORLD. It gives you time to think for yourself and not be influenced by anyone.

I don't watch TV news anymore. They are nothing but fake news and hateful comments towards the president. It's sad!

Sandie

Thanks for sharing the Bernard Shaw quote recently- loved it. I'm with Bell , not big on TV , even less on the media these days. It sucks the life out of you. Anytime you can spend with a favorite person is time well spent. Outdoors , major bonus!!! You would think after all these years they would have really great research on the effects of TV. Not sure about the 22 minutes, just waiting till the truth comes out about all the cell towers in our backyards ;) Great thought provoking piece.

TV HAS NEVER BEEN MY THING, PER SAY. I COULD WATCH IT OR NOT WATCH IT. THOUGH I CERTAINLY RECALL SPECIFICS ALONG THE WAY; HOWDY DOODY, GUNSMOKE, MICKEY MOUSE CLUB AND, LIKE MYSTIC, I LIKED I LOVE LUCY. MY DAD LOVED BASEBALL ON THE WEEKENDS AND I WAS SOMEWHAT DRAWN TO THAT. ED SULLIVAN WAS A FAMILY STANDARD BUT LATER ON THE SOAPS NEVER CLAIMED ME BECAUSE, UP UNTIL TODAY, I DON'T PARTICULARLY CARE FOR SERIALS...I MEAN, EVEN IF ONE GOOD EPISODE GRABS MY ATTENTION, AND IT HAS, I DON'T USUALLY GET BACK TO IT. TAKE ME TO THE ENDING AND LET ME START ON SOMETHING NEW. SO, TODAY, I DON'T LOOK AT TV AT ALL. I HAVE A TV, THROUGH WHICH I ENJOY MY DVDs AND MY VHS TAPES(YES, VHS SMILE). GOOD MOVIES WITH A POSITIVE MESSAGE, I LOVE, PARTICULARLY THE OLD ONES(I'M 74)BUT THERE ARE SOME NEWER ONES THAT I VALUE A GREAT DEAL TOO. NOW, DISNEY'S FANTASIA(THE FIRST ONE AND 2000)HAVE LULLED ME TO SLEEP MANY A NIGHTS, I LOVE MUSIC, ALL KINDS. I KEEP UP WITH THE NEWS THROUGH THE INTERNET(CANNING THE 'JUNK' IMMEDIATELY) AND AM HAPPY WHEN I FIND AN ARTICLE TO SHARE IN MY 'EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE' SERIES. SO, FOR MANY RECOVERING TV ADDICTS I THINK IT'S MORE LIKE, GETTING BACK TO REALITY. REALIZING THAT THE GOOD OLD WAYS, WERE REALLY GOOD. REACHING BACK TO THE OUTDOOR PAST-TIMES OF YESTERDAY...TO ENJOY A SIMPLER LIFE, THE THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER. I THINK THAT'S WHY I LOVE GEORGIA SO MUCH...MORE COUNTRY-LIKE, YOU KNOW? TREES, GRASS, WARMER WEATHER, A MORE HOSPITABLE, UNTOUCHED ATMOSPHERE, ESPECIALLY IN THE COUNTIES. SO, IF WE LET IT, NATURE WILL CERTAINLY BRING THE BEST OUT OF US, WITH NEW PERSPECTIVES, TOUCHING IN WAYS THE TV NEVER COULD. THANK GOD THAT WRITERS NEVER NEEDED OR NEED THE TV FOR INSPIRATION...THEY'VE GOT TOO MUCH 'WORDS IN THEIR POCKET', AS SANDIE ANGEL RECENTLY PUT IT. THANKS FOR SHARING THIS POST THAT CERTAINLY TOOK ME ON A 'ROLL'(SMILE). LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+ INSPIRATIONS

Richard,

I really like your bottom line, "TODAY we
sought something more wholesome,
paddling a pure watercourse together,
seeking a simpler life."

My wife was recently sick with a virus that left her bedridden for two weeks. After that ordeal was over she despised TV and just wanted to get out and enjoy the outdoors. I love boating, biking and kayaking. We are finally getting out more together. She saw the light!

Love the poem!

John Michael

I don't know about life short-circuited from television. The couch potato lifestyle is certainly not conducive to good health. As far as television content goes, you certainly are right about "talking heads." My physical condition forces me to spend a good part of my day watching television. I have always totally ignored the commercials, except occasionally observing the funny ones for their humor, not their product. And I totally avoid the newsy programs to watch only the news and tend to ignore the commentary about almost every news item from so-called experts.

Fortunately, although we had a television by 1954 at home, after I left for college, I didn't have a television set until my grandmother gave me an old black-and-white one when I went off to my doctorate when I was 29. In all the years I lived alone, the television was on as background when there were uninteresting programs on. Now that I have cable, I am watching dramas, history and reality shows that are giving me a peek at life that enhances my writing.

But I must also include radio in your concern, because talk radio is just as bad as television news talk when it comes to filling our minds with all kinds of fears and obligations. There is nothing like taking a peaceful sojourn into nature to realize that much of the world goes on without manipulation, but with beautiful, yet deadly determination, season after season.

Ron

If our lives are shortened by 22 minutes for every hour watching TV, then my life is going to be a whole lot shorter than first I thought, for if it wasn't for TV my life would be more of a bore than it has been...-e-

Another wise offering from a veteran of the craft. Where else would anyone find "flapdoodle" and "paradoxes impregnated with platitudes?"
Long ago I learned that fast talkers do so to cut short the listener's time to digest and reflect on their words. It's a gimmick intended to obfuscate the emptiness behind their words. A splendid write!

I only watch T.V. If I can slip in a rerun from I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, or Beverly Hillbillies. Occasionally a good

film on Netflix that someone recommended. I don't watch the news

at night or else I won't sleep. The last time I got fascinated by

T.V. was when my father brought in the first color T.V. and I could see what shade Fred was dressed in as he worked the quarry. lol.

Thank you for writing a poem about this monumental monster we call

the Tele dear Richard, I'll choose having old friends over for coffee and chat, over T.V. any day then again we can't pave the way back to yesterday, heh, Have a great day my friend. xo

I'm eighty years of age. I have been watching TV many, many years. No telling how old I would be today if my life had been shortened 22 minutes for each hour I watched the boob tube all these years. Eh . . . Not sure I would want to be that old.

A simpler life, indeed, I think I have found it over here. There isn't much on TV, the news (CNN, Al-Jazeera) which I watch a little just to keep abreast, the occasional film (most of the film channels are repeats that I have already seen on the big screen), otherwise, I read, like they did in the 19th century. Reading informs my psyche and soul, and no doubt plays a role in the inspiration for my poetry. Otherwise, I give TV a pass, perhaps I will have a longer life. . . !

I don't watch much television. I prefer to put in a dvd, and enjoy a program without being insulted by commercials. Since life expectancy keeps increasing, a little tv can't hurt as long we're not complete couch potatoes.