How to watch Television, without feeling Guilty?

Lately I had this problem of feeling guilty about my screentime. Although I did not understand there was some deep philosophy in it and I am going to uncover in this article. First of all, lets analyse the problem, without trying to search answers.

Why do we feel guilty about screentime?

Screentime

Ever since, televisions were developped humans find themselves glued to these amazing machines most of their afternoons. Instead of spending some quality time with people. And, we even watch them in groups. We feel pleasure during the time we watch the movies or news, or anything on the TV. Yet, lately I have been feeling guilty of my screentime. When I look at my past I tend to think all those hours could have spent in some productive activity, Like, reading a textbook, solving mathematical problem to feel good about it, or even write a blog article.

This feeling has escalated to a level, that when I open netflix I even feel the subtle guilt, that I am going to waste rest of my day. If you do not have this problem, there is no point reading the rest of this article, Hence, you should leave. But, the philosophy I am going to apply to anything, you think is a waste of time. So, you may still keep reading if it is interesting enough. Let's get back to the question and analyse deeper.

While watching the televesion I am really feeling plesure. But, why do I feel guilty? It is only because my mind compares this activity with 1000 other so called "Good habits". Which were conditioned by the society into my brain to thinking as good. Consider reading a textbook. I can choose to follow some documentry on "Power law" and learn about it in real life so I can apply this into my everyday life, to make better decisions. Like I did the other day. That is productive right?

How to watch television without feeling guilty?

Television

Wrong!. We must investigate further, asking then what? Until we reach some internal understanding of what is happening. What matters is the truth. Remember, we are just trying to understand, why we feel guilt when we watch television. Or should we feel guilt? And you can do the same about any guilt that you felt latelty.

Now let's think, our initital intution was reading a textbook is better than watching a tv series. Because it makes, me do better dicision making. So I can end up in a bigger pile of money, ethically earned. And with a fame, and a label that goes "Mr.A, the knowlegeble, wise, successful person". And then what?

This label I aquire will last, till I get dementia, or till I die. It can last for others, Till all about my existance vanishes from earth. Remember, I am just an ordinary person. Hence, it will vanish during lifetime of an Oak tree. As you can see, the so called success that I am going to achieve by reading a textbook, has no clear benifit, in the so called "Cosmic scale" timeframe. This fundemental understanding helps me to rationalise my mind, that watching TV is not inherently bad. Watching tv is not good either. It is just a neutral phenoma of the mind. My worry in this instance is both excessive and unnecessary. After all, the mind would not be watching something, if it is not the TV.

I shouldn't feel guilty, watching the television as the success is an illusion of mind. Life is a strange affair. Isn't it nice to feel loosing yourself in the moment watching TV? Like there is nothing else you'd be doing to improve the experience? And that my friend is the secret to watch television without feeling guilty.