News Addiction

Today I read another sarcastic commentary about how people are wasting their lives watching television. The Internet got a short mention, but compared to television, it was only a minor offender.

I don't own a TV, and don't try to watch it via the Internet. (I experience such a smug sense of moral superiority). However, I never met a news service I didn't like.

Our Women's Bible Study has decided to do a 40-day-fast not on food, but on other time-sealers. Reality escapes like: TV, shopping or complaining. (ooh, not ready to even attempt that one)!

So, I picked broadcast news (radio, pod casts and the very tasty (visual) RSS news headline feed.

After only one full week of seriously avoiding all my beloved news programs, I realize that:

• I have more energy because I get an actual night's sleep instead of being awake until 2:00 AM and having to rise at around 5 AM. I was dragging constantly.
• I'm accomplishing more real work then I have for the last six months! (Around the time I changed from getting some news to trying to get ALL of the news)!

I added it all up and realized I was listening to almost 39 hours of news a week! Sunday night was the hardest, as that is my special marathon night of  a glorious 8 hours of various news programs!

I am ashamed to realize how much time News Addiction was steeling from my life.