Stranger in our midst!

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long-time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk, and watch him draw his pictures. His name?....

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We just call him, "TV."








He has a younger sister now. We call her "Computer."

hi vidya,

How true! There are people who can talk endlessly about tv serials. They give more importance to TV serials than the live people around them.

"Allavukku minjinal amurthamum nanju" is a proverb in tamil, Which means "Even Amrit becomes poison when consumed in large quantities.

That's exactly the situation in our homes today.

regards latha

Dear Vidya,
How did you forget the latest addition ?
MOBILE the MONSTER !
We can't live without it, however much we want to live without it ! Infact I have two !
Love,
Chithra.

hi vidya,

nice post!

the word Television has become very important in present day living and people are getting too much addicted to it especially the saas-bhau soaps.
and there is no world other than that, and now COMPUTER is taking over it

cheers
sreelatha

Hi Vidya,
Nice post. It is true that we get addicted to the advancement in modern technologies which sometimes does not serve its purpose due to its usage in wrong hands.

Sriniketan

Hey

this was a very cute post... and ya as Mrs. Chitra said... mobile is a cousin of the family (tv and comp) too...

~Abha

. i liked what u posted. very amusing and very true..!unfortunately(?) i contribute to the idiotbox and to its addiction I make tv serials..But i swear, they are not the 'saas bahu' type of programmes.

Dear vmur,
that was a great post. Right from Marshall McLuhan (the author of the quote: "The medium is the message") every one has condemned the idiot box. But now it has become part of our lives. In India I see it destroying many families; it has forever destroyed the social graces of visiting friends and relatives. If a guest comes when a good serial is running, the guest is also forced to watch it. Conversation has died down to the minimal and our minds are pre-occupied by this little monster.

But your putting it across as a stranger in our midst is quite powerful. Great job, vmur.

regards,

Dear Vmur !
That was a wonderful post.
So well written.
Enjoyed it immensely.
I am going to the Fine Post Nomination section right away !
rgds.
manjula

hi vmur,

however i try now, i am unable to get addicted to this tv. what is there to get addicted ya?

but i have my old grandmother staring at this box anytime. wherever i sit in my home the echo is heard. even if i shut the door of my room, i am able to hear it from window actually comes from the next house.

atleast this tv and computer can be kept in a place permanently. but what about this cousin mobile, it comes with me wherever i go.

even if i talk for a minute over my mobile, the instrument gets heated up and i am not able to hold it anymore. but people talk hours together.

what is the jadhu? is it a real good conversation, emotions, official, gossips, simply chatting, playing games or a mere show off.

truely and honestly i use my mobile phone only for these words - reached safely, i am back home, leaving home and for alarm, calculator and shceduler.

regards,

Vanaja