TELEVISION - By Roald Dahl

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~Zaria~

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Assalamu-alaikum

I loved this! :)


TELEVISION

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotized by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink --
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What the darling ones used to do?
'How they kept themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.


_________________________________________


"So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away......."


Salaam :)
 
It's from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Oompa Loompahs for the win.
 
:sl:

Due to recent events in my life, I have not watched TV or played video games in almost two weeks, and you know what? I don't really miss either one...
 
Alhamdulillah I got rid of my TV in January 2009 and I never looked back

we didnt open our TV for a long time and my dad opened it once n it wasnt working :P lolz we don't watch TV don't get time
 
:sl:

I am still watching TV but only watch beneficial programs. Even TV is one of my sources in learn Islam.

That's the advantage of living in Muslim country.
 
No, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. Oompa Loompas are annoying and evil, and freaky.

true very annoying when i read charlie and the chocolate facatory i used to skip the oompa loompa song part :P
 
true very annoying when i read charlie and the chocolate facatory i used to skip the oompa loompa song part :P

Yes, thank you! Vindication! ;D

It's even worse in the movie though. The Oompa Loompas are these weird-looking green and orange dudes with 17th century powdered wigs.

I don't want to see orange George Washington, thanks.
 
Yes, thank you! Vindication! ;D

It's even worse in the movie though. The Oompa Loompas are these weird-looking green and orange dudes with 17th century powdered wigs.

I don't want to see orange George Washington, thanks.

lolz ;D i hated them in the movie too :P skipd all the songs in the movie :P
 
salaam
this poem should be stuck up everywhere like the posters in ww1 and ww2 your country needs you so everyone can see it and i reckon it could be very persuasive
wasalam
 
Walaykum salam, I read this recently and I love it too. Great advice! I only watch TV for news or some Islamic programs but not very often.

Alhamdulillah I got rid of my TV in January 2009 and I never looked back

How comes, did you always have the TV behind you??

Lol kidding :p
 
lolz ;D i hated them in the movie too :P skipd all the songs in the movie :P

Yeah, so do I every time I watch it.

At least the Oompa Loompas aren't wearing Burger King masks though. I think I would have a mindfreak if I saw that...
 
And yet you love this oompa loompa song.

lolz i didnt know it was an oompa loompa song :P i used to skip the song parts :P even if it is their song its way bttr to read it urself then to hear it from them :P
 
Alhamdulillah I got rid of my TV in January 2009 and I never looked back

MashaAllah.

Apart from Islamic media and documentaries that I watch on my laptop, I have given up TV over a yr ago, Alhamdulillah.
And it has honestly been one of THE best changes that I have ever made to my life.

You really need to expierence it to understand what it feels like -

a new 'peace' enters your heart,
your mind feels less 'cluttered',
there are so many 'extra' hours found in the day, now that you have subtracted Oprah, the incestous Bold and the Beautiful, and sitcoms from your daily life,
it becomes so much easier to focus your mind on what is truly important in life - Al Aakhirah.....NOT this dunya.

SubhanAllah.



:sl:

Due to recent events in my life, I have not watched TV or played video games in almost two weeks, and you know what? I don't really miss either one...

Its sometimes takes a life-changing event in our lives, a 'wake-up' call - to get us reflecting on our lives, and to open our eyes.

For me, it took a personal upheavel, that resulted in me staying in a place without a TV through Ramadhaan 2010, and a few months thereafter.
At the time, I was at my lowest.......I could not see it, but it was truly a blessing in disguise.
It was what I, personally needed to get me out of my 'slumber', and realise that changes were needed in my life.

So, brother - insha Allah, let this trial in your life be the spring-board to a positive change.
Allah tests us in so many different ways.

If we use these trials as a means of achieving nearness to our Creator, and strengthening our imaans - then these tribulations are not a punishment, but a mercy from Allah.


May we all find the strength and tawfeeq to give up this box once and for all.

Salaam
 
I just wanted to share 2 of my favourite videos on this topic.

If you have never seen them before, please do insha Allah - there is much wisdom in their words.













Edit: In light of recent sentiments, I quote one of the many profound remarks made by Sh Hamza Yusuf:


"We need to become people of seriousness.

People who are worthy of this deen."


Indeed!


Salaam





 
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:sl:

I was just having a conversation about this today. For too long in my life I have been lazy. I have wasted so much time in idle pursuits. Then this storm happened, and I lost my house in a tornado. I really feel like this is God pushing the reset button of my life. I feel like this is God teaching me some lessons, lessons that I need to learn well if I am to become the man I am supposed to be.
 
Besides college football,basketball and baseball...I dont really watch tv anymore like I used to.
 

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