In defense of mindless television

Wednesday night I stared at a jumbled mess of words in a document on my computer screen just wondering how I can put together these puzzle pieces and create the masterpiece that is my column.

OK, maybe not “masterpiece.” More like “hey, look at this cool puzzle of a snowflake I put together,” while someone reads off the box “it says ages five and up, don’t give yourself too much credit.”

Nonetheless I was stuck with one of the scariest ailments for someone like me.

Writer’s block.

I felt like I had a good point to make. Something along the lines of social issues becoming politicized even though human decency shouldn’t be tied to ideology. What I didn’t have is a way to present the argument in a clear way that flows on the page in that beautiful completed puzzle I alluded to.

So what do you do after staring at your computer screen for way too long and still have nothing? Get up, go do something else.

When I was in college, studying to get a bachelor’s degree in both computer science and mathematics (I know, very bold choice, I have many regrets), one of the best pieces of advice I received from a professor was to take breaks in between homework assignments. If there’s a math problem you’re stumped on, stand up, go do something else. Clear your mind.

That’s what I did Wednesday night. I got up, grabbed something to eat, then went home and dove a little bit into the video game world and later the realm of mindless television.

I’ve seen columns written before on the harmful effects of watching too much TV. I’ve also seen others write about how video games are bad for us. I’d argue, though, that these forms of entertainment provide users with an escape. Sometimes you need to dive into a world and immerse yourself in it so deep that you forget all your troubles, just for those 60 or so minutes. For me, it’s the “clearing your mind” effects that I go for.

There’s nothing wrong with booting up the Xbox One or Playstation 4 and running a round of games with the crew. I tell you, there’s nothing more satisfying then running a successful mission on GTA V then blowing your money on silly things such as ammunition to then literally blow up your friends’ vehicles.

There’s nothing wrong with powering up MTV and watching the Challenge (which by the way, those of you who watched this week, I totally think Zach is going to hook back up with Jenna in next week’s episode and I can’t wait to see how Johnny Bananas conspires to win the whole thing).

After I was done clearing my mind, I went back to that word document and stared again at that jumbled mess. One of the phrases I wrote was “morality should not be political.” I trashed the word document and went back to reality television for more inspiration. To be honest, I didn’t really find much inspiration though I did finally come up with this column, so that’s a positive.

Look, you can’t really judge me for my choice of mindless television viewing. After all, our current president was a reality television star. So who knows, maybe Bananas from the Challenge will be our next president?