一只小狗因主人的孩子整天坐在地板上看电视，再也无暇于它而伤心地离家出走。虽然这只是一部动画片里的情节，但现实生活中电视引发的种种问题已无可回避。

　　Perhaps the most ironic aspect of the struggle for survival is how easily organisms can be harmed by that which they desire. The trout is caught by the fisherman's lure, the mouse by cheese, and man by the world's most popular leisure pastime, television.<注1>

　　Most people admit toshavingsa love-hate relationship with it (the TV). They complain about the 'boob tube'and 'couch potatoes', then they settle into their sofas and grab the remote control.<注2>

　　The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing. According to a research, on average, American adults spend four hours a day in front of the TV ? fully half of their leisure time. Over a lifetime, that's more than nine years. Yet, we love to complain that we don't have time for the things we really want to do.

　　There are two reasons we end up watching more TV than we know we should. People think they need it and it's easy. We usually don't realize how many hours we're watching television. Since it's a passive activity, with feelings of lowered alertness continuing even after the set is off, watchers typically find their energy and concentration are low. Inertia sets in.<注3> Hence, there is no motivation to get up and do something else once you're planted<注4> on the couch.When you think about other activities ( sleep, playing with your kids, hobbies) that you're giving up by watching television, it can be an eye-opener<注5>.

　　Don't make it easy to be a potato.<注6> Instead of being a passive watcher, Julie Morgenstern, the author of Time Management from the Inside Out, advises a more proactive<注7> approach. "Fill your time with things you cherish," she says. "You should have a plan in place for your time and don't watch beyond what you've planned. When your show is over, turn the TV off."

　　There are also ways to make TV watching harder. Most people arrange their living room furniture around the TV. But you may try to put the TV away in a cabinet, a back room, or the basement.<注8> Then arrange your couches and chairs for conversation and reading. If your TV is too big to move, you can remove the batteries from your remote so that channel surfing must be done manually.<注9>

　　Keep a list of alternate activities taped to the TV as a reminder.<注10> The TV-Turnoff website lists screen-free suggestions<注11> like starting a garden, looking at the stars, or going to a bookstore as options.

　　Benefits of less TV will be obvious, if you try life without TV for a week or less and see how you feel. Every spring during TV-Turnoff Week (April 21-27, 2003) thousands of people give this a try and often find they prefer watching less. The first few days can be rough, but, after that initial period, people find freedom.<注12> They get more things done and that makes them happier.

　　You may see TV watching as a way to decompress<注13> after your day. Since studies have shown that watching television doesn't lower your stress level, and in fact may increase it, you're better off trying other activities. Could you do something that is more relaxing like yoga<注14>, reading, or listening to music?

　　My husband and I do own a TV, and I'm working on being more aware of my viewing habits.<注15> Now, before I pick up the remote, I ask myself, "Is this what I really want to be doing?" Often I come up with better options and the ON button doesn't get pushed. After all, I doubt on my deathbed I'll regret that I didn't watch more TV.<注16>