In 2001, I recycled my TV. Yes, folks. I have not being watching TV for 7 years. Occasionally, I do go to movie theater. I had a "TV withdrawal" for about 2 month. I could not discuss any TV shows with my co-workers since I stopped watching them. Most of the conversations were based on TV programs.  I had to learn to talk about different subjects. That gradually changed my social circle as well.

Sometimes, I find myself in situation, where I have to say that I do not know anything about particular show.  When asked why, I simply state that I do not watch TV.

At first I was annoyed by people's comments on importance of watching TV.  Later, I changed my approach and challenged people to be honest about their TV habits.

The common question that I get, is: 
“How do you get the news ?” Com'on, be realistic – internet is here, so one can get the news at any time. Plus, you can find out what goes on in different countries.  Frankly speaking, who really spends all their leisure time by watching news?). 

The above-mentioned transformation was not easy, but at the same time, I felt that I was doing the right thing. 

Let’s say that on average I was spending around 2 hours a day watching TV.  ( 8PM-10PM).
Multiply it by 70 years    2 X 365 X 70 = 51,000 hours

51,000/ 24 hours = 2130 days
2130 days/ 365 = 6 years

I would spend 6 years of my life sitting in front of the tube. I thought that I could find something better to do than watching TV. 

When I finally stopped staring at tube, I went back to school and eventually graduated. Since then, I have been camping every weekend. That introduced me to nature.  The transition from city to nature was pretty complicated. I attended sweat lodge - native American sacred ceremony - something I always wanted to do.
Also, I started visiting local park quite often and met my future best friend. A year later we opened real estate business together.  This meeting has opened the whole another page of my life.

Final thoughts.

Am I better then people that are watching TV? Not at all. I just found that I can be more productive if I allocate time for other things.  It came out by experiment.

I must say that absence of TV  in past years not only enriched my life but also expanded my knowledge. I became a seeking individual with curious mind.