Too many options

With four children in our home, my wife and I are bombarded with the constant need for activity and entertainment.  Up until this past week, expanded digital cable television has filled much of that demand with ESPN, Disney Channel, Nick Jr., and the various children's on demand channels cycling in high rotation.  Not to mention that since our televisions are high definition, I can watch all of my sports in stunning HD.  Sometimes it's hard to switch back and forth to five different football games!

But lately I've sensed that something had to give.  We were spending far too much time in front of television screens being entertained with mostly mindless material.  So, I pulled the plug on the cable company.  Well, not entirely.  We went from having hundreds of channels that skyrocketed into the upper digital tiers to now a basic 16 channels.  Our HD signal draws in a few more channels and we can still enjoy the channels we now have in that same stunning HD, but when you downgrade to 16 channels you now lose all of those options for viewing that you once enjoyed.  That means no more Disney Channel, ESPN, or Discovery Channel. 

And I feel somewhat free.

Studies have been telling us for years that we watch too much television and spend too many hours on our computers and cell phones.  Yet when confronted with a multitude of options - whether it's TV, internet, cell phone capabilities, or any other wireless gizmo that's out there - most of us at some point will succumb to the temptation to tune in more than we should.  Options aren't necessarily a bad thing, but you really can have too much of a good thing.

Why exactly is it not always a good thing to have so many options available to us?

• We can become spoiled, believing that all of our demands can and should be met instantly.
• We run the danger of becoming so distracted that we lose productivity in several arenas - school work, career, family time, etc.
• Too much time in front of all of these media options can cause us to lose touch with real people.  You can have 1000+ friends on Facebook but because you have spent so much time behind your screens and gadgets you find that you have very few authentic relationships or friendships.
• If we wed ourselves too closely to our options then we run the risk of disconnecting from other people and important relationships altogether.

I have to admit that I am someone who is in need of unplugging even more than I have already attempted.  But do you want to know one of the cool results of downgrading our cable plan?  We talk more as a family and there is much less chaos of background TV noise to have to contend with.  I will gladly sacrifice a couple of football games on the weekend in order to connect even more with my family.