TV shows and people’s allegedly lack of time

“I’d like to learn a new language. Too bad I don’t have time for that”.

“I would love to read more, especially the great masters of literature, but my day is so busy”.

“I really want to watch classic movies. If only my live wasn’t so complicated right now”.

“I would love to get to know better Bob Dylan’s albums. However, I don’t even time to catch my breath”.

Those are complains constantly repeated by millions of people around the world. Certainly, almost all of them have pretty busy days. Nonetheless, probably those same persons “without time”, daily, open their “full schedule” to follow lots of TV shows.

Before entering the main subject of this article, it is important to say that I do not censor or diminish anyone because of that – no one is necessarily stupid or intelligent for preferring a specific form of entertainment. Also essential to say that there are billions of people worlwide who, by several reasons (specially poverty) simply can’t spare any time or just don’t have the means (in many aspects) for moments of pure leisure.

Millions of spectators spend several hours per day with those shows (note: Americans watch 5 hours of TV daily). Considering, for instance, close to one hour for each episode and “just” 4 hours of TV per day, let’s see what could have been done during all that time:

1) Music:

a.). Removing one episode from a single show, you will enough time to listen to a whole album from the great Bob Dylan (“The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan”, for example, is 50 minutes long);

b.). In two days without TV, you can listen to every one of the 12 Beatles studio albums (approximately 8 hours long);

2). Literature (based in the estimative from “personal creations”):

a.). Without three 3 episodes, you will be able to read “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald (47094 words –an average of 3 reading hours);

b.). With the time spent watching between 5 to 6 days of TV, it would be possible to read the gigantic (in size and quality) “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy (349736 words or 19.43 hours).

3). Films

a.). Removing two episodes, you will be able to watch the classic “Citizen Kane” by Orson Welles (1 hour and 50 minutes long).

b.). If you only watch one hour of TV show during 3 days, it will be possible to watch the complete “Godfather” trilogy (approximately 9 hours long).

4). Language School: without 2 episodes for 2 days a week, you can attend a course, online or in person.

Of course that very few people would have the patience to repeat all those activities every day. One-hour reading is usually more tiresome that spending the same time lying on the sofa, watching TV. There is no need to be radical and remove all TV from your daily life. However, maybe without just one or two hours, your day will be much more open.

“I just don’t want not knowing what to say when people speak about a specific show”. Trust me: you don’t have to watch everything to know the basic.

But what if you don’t want none of that and rather watch TV? Not a problem at all. You have the freedom to choose what do in your leisure time and must not be condemned or ridiculed because of that. I just suggest you be honest, stop lying to others (specially to yourself) and tell the truth: you just don’t like “difficult books”, critically acclaimed movies, nor Bob Dylan.