TV v. Movies
I have never been an avid TV watcher. I grew up watching PBS Kids after school and then graduated to "Full House" and "Gilmore Girls" reruns when I got a little older, but I never had a TV show that became my show. I never waited in agony for the next episode or season to come out or read fan theories on the internet. In high school, I spent many conversations in silence as my friends raved over their favorite TV shows. College was even worse. My classmates barely had time to sleep, yet they found time to binge-watch Netflix. And I would just sit quietly, listening to their rants about shows I had never seen.
If some kind soul did try to include me in the conversation, I would just shrug and say, "Movies are better." And I truly believed that. I could enjoy an entire story--the exposition, the conflict, the climax, and the resolution--in two hours or less. If a plot was intense or nerve-wracking, I only had to stress about it for a little while instead of months. And I rarely had to worry about cliff-hanger endings.
But then I met my fiancé, who entrusted me with the password to his Netflix account. Instantly, I had hours of entertainment at my fingertips, and I was hooked. I would watch it during meals, while folding laundry, and (admittedly) sometimes on particularly slow days at my campus desk job. I began catching up on all the shows I had heard my friends talk about.
And something happened: The more time I spent in front of the TV, the more emotionally attached I became to the characters. I laughed with them and cried with them. I cared about their jobs, their families, their dreams; they became real to me. The more I watched, the more I began to think and act like my favorite characters. Their little quirks became my little quirks. My manner of speech and sense of humor started to reflect theirs. My media consumption truly affected me.
It occurred to me that I could be influenced in other ways as well. What if, I thought, I spent as much time with my scriptures as I did the remote? If I binge-read the Book of Mormon, would I begin to think and act like Nephi? Would Alma's little quirks become my little quirks? Would my manner of speech and sense of humor start to reflect Moroni's?
It seems silly, but I realized that my gospel study needs to be like a TV show and not a movie. I can't read the scriptures and be done. I can't just enjoy the plot and forget the message. I need to think about them and obsess over them and discuss them thoroughly with my friends. I need to memorize my favorite quotes and reference them in regular conversation. I need to relate everyday situations to what happened in my favorite chapter. I need the characters to become a part of me.
If you ask me if movies or TV is better, I don't know if I have a definite answer anymore. They both have their pros and cons. But I'm grateful for both, not just for their entertainment value but also for the life lessons I learn--all from the comfort of my couch.
If some kind soul did try to include me in the conversation, I would just shrug and say, "Movies are better." And I truly believed that. I could enjoy an entire story--the exposition, the conflict, the climax, and the resolution--in two hours or less. If a plot was intense or nerve-wracking, I only had to stress about it for a little while instead of months. And I rarely had to worry about cliff-hanger endings.
But then I met my fiancé, who entrusted me with the password to his Netflix account. Instantly, I had hours of entertainment at my fingertips, and I was hooked. I would watch it during meals, while folding laundry, and (admittedly) sometimes on particularly slow days at my campus desk job. I began catching up on all the shows I had heard my friends talk about.
And something happened: The more time I spent in front of the TV, the more emotionally attached I became to the characters. I laughed with them and cried with them. I cared about their jobs, their families, their dreams; they became real to me. The more I watched, the more I began to think and act like my favorite characters. Their little quirks became my little quirks. My manner of speech and sense of humor started to reflect theirs. My media consumption truly affected me.
It occurred to me that I could be influenced in other ways as well. What if, I thought, I spent as much time with my scriptures as I did the remote? If I binge-read the Book of Mormon, would I begin to think and act like Nephi? Would Alma's little quirks become my little quirks? Would my manner of speech and sense of humor start to reflect Moroni's?
It seems silly, but I realized that my gospel study needs to be like a TV show and not a movie. I can't read the scriptures and be done. I can't just enjoy the plot and forget the message. I need to think about them and obsess over them and discuss them thoroughly with my friends. I need to memorize my favorite quotes and reference them in regular conversation. I need to relate everyday situations to what happened in my favorite chapter. I need the characters to become a part of me.
If you ask me if movies or TV is better, I don't know if I have a definite answer anymore. They both have their pros and cons. But I'm grateful for both, not just for their entertainment value but also for the life lessons I learn--all from the comfort of my couch.
I love this. And I'm excited that you're writing again! I've missed it since your mission. :)
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