Television for entertainment purposes?

Television is the low-grade drug fed to the masses, including our children, to divert our attention from more pressing issues in our world. We eat up these things called programs then wonder why we're all the same. It's a distraction at best and entertainment, ,no, no, no! How can a formulaic dance, that is on every station, be entertainment? Society has even created channels to stereotype everyone, lumping us into groups that always leave someone out and really don't include anyone also, well, not anyone with any substance or heart or mind. It's an aria of instant gratification and the television is the conductor. There to guide us and tell us how to live like there is only one way or only one right way. And there telling us what is wrong and what is not appropriate.TV is responsible for all the horrible fads, which are just when someone respected does something different. Television has killed hobbies. Hobbies are what we once did when we were not working. Our children literally grow up with television, it's a wonder they do any homework at all.
So, I say take time off your television schedule gradually. If you do it all at once you might be shocked and not like it. Pick up a book or that once forgotten interest in sculpture. Play with your kids. Teach them to interact. If you're really daring and not too judgmental of yourself you can make some art.

serendipity IV

They arrived at the palatial church to the very welcoming Bishop, Kevin. He was a tall man who’s face told a tale of years of hardship. He was slender, too, adding to the humble and frugal face of the church.
“Welcome, Michael, it’s nice to see you again.” Kevin said. Neither Maria nor Lisa knew just how many times Kevin had met Michael. He’s a Bishop so they knew that he had probably gave many an oration in his name.
“Thank you, but it’s my friends here that I told you about that need welcoming.” Michael answered.
“Yes, yes, of course, welcome make yourself at home. How are you Miss Maria?” Kevin was way more cordial than Maria or Lisa had ever seen him. Lisa figured that was on account of Michael, if he could make bullets not hit their car then she was sure he could sway an old priest.
“I’m a little rattled but no worse for wear.” the humble Maria replied.
“Well, that all stops here, or really when you entered that door,” Kevin points in the direction of the back door, “the only thing that is here is peace.”A nun who introduced herself as Cynthia walked them down a hall, Lisa turned and waved to Michael, lined with pictures of priests that used to minister there in the past. Most were Bishops. The hallway was long turning left then right then down stairs where they finally were introduced to their living quarters. It was full of Mohgany furniture upholstered in red velvet. They heard the angels sing as they entered the room.There was a large rug most certainly imported from Italy. They set there bags down and admired the stained glass windows that were casting all colors of the rainbow on the wall across from the window. The walls, aside from the stained glass windows, were full of old religious manuscripts. There were two beds set up as if they were expecting them for years. Each had a nightstand and a lamp. The room was oblong and the beds were set up accordingly.
Cynthia said she was going to fix them something to eat. Maria and Lisa set their bags down that they both had a death grip on for fear that someone was going to take something from them. They released their bags and along with their bags they released their pent up emotion and cried.They sat down on the love seat opposite of the beds, held each other and wept, tears of fear, relief, and for Maria, the love of her daughter, which Michael brought to her. Lisa could see the age on her mother’s face, for the first time, and felt responsible for bringing out a  lot of those wrinkles. She was wild during high school, running with a gang, experimenting with drugs and struggling toward graduation but ultimately obtaining her diploma. Lisa was no honor-roll student, nor was she attending college, yet, but Maria was proud of the young woman she raised. She had good morals and almost always did the right thing.
Cynthia knocked politely on their door, which was once nun’s quarters. Maria and Lisa dried their tears hurriedly, as if they were in some sort of trouble, and answered the door.
“I don’t mean to interrupt...” Cynthia said.
“No, no, you’re not interrupting, we were just getting ready to come out, weren’t we honey?” Maria says but wants some back-up from her daughter.
“Umm... yes we were.” Lisa said as she flipped her hair back revealing red eyes from crying, but not a tear fell now. “We were just preparing ourselves to dine with such important people as yourselves.”
“Oh, you flatter me but I believe Michael said that you were in some sort of trouble and the troubled are the important one’s in this house.” said Cynthia as she welcomed them to the table in the kitchen of the nurses. “I hope you don’t mind eating in the kitchen, I just thought...” and that was the last word Cynthia said before Maria cut her off.
“This is fine, you’ve already out done yourself.” the humble Maria retorts.
“So, if you don’t mind me asking,” Cynthia is speaking while serving  Maria and Lisa over-easy eggs with bacon, toast and orange juice, “what kind of trouble are you in anyway?”
“Michael said we should not discuss our problem with anyone” Maria informs.
“Yeah, and we obey Michael, you do, too, don’t you?” Lisa says with attitude that her Mother knows all too well.
“Yes, yes, we must obey the holy.” Cynthia agrees., “Come now let’s eat, you must be hungry.”
Every morning they did that same routine and at dinner the Kevin was present most of the time making everyone feel awkward. The nun felt as if he was checking up on her and Maria and Lisa felt that he was protecting them from some unknown darkness. The church not only had a shower but a sauna, too. So that’s why nuns always have porcelain whiten skin.
Kevin was an old man with a full head of gray hair and gave moving sermons every Sunday that he worked on literally all week. He was active for his age of 72. He tended to a pepper garden and nurtured a very old rose bush. He made daily walks around the garden where the Virgin was and lit candles, one for every pass. Kevin was a man of few words and was a humble, considerate, gentleman. He held the church on his back and he didn’t mind a bit, he considered it to be an honor. He wore big heavy robes like the quintessential monks of old and could often be found just walking around the grounds. He was about to be tested. On Sunday Maria and Lisa hide so as not to give away their location. The alter boys would often wonder around and go places they shouldn’t. One Sunday Lisa was taking a shower and came out wrapped in a towel, shoulders steaming like boiled potatoes, and ran into one of those boys. She didn’t say anything and neither did he, they just walked away. Lisa was not dealing with this very calmly. She got back to the rectory and broke down to her Mother.
“Mommy!” Lisa came running into their room, “an altar boy saw me!” and then thr tears of fear started pouring. “An altar boy, as I was leaving the shower he saw me.” Lisa was sobbing as if her kitten got ran down big rig.
“An altar boy, as I was leaving the shower he saw me.” Lisa was sobbing as if her kitten got ran down big rig.
“Oh, I thought you meant an adult saw you.” Maria shrugged it off not remembering how much little children pick up on things. “Did he say anything to you?”
“No, and I didn’t say anything to him.” Lisa said with confidence that she did the right thing. Maria stroked her daughter’s ebony curls.
“Let’s just not worry about it.” Maria said with apprehension.
They went to sleep that night but Lisa didn’t get a wink. She was up all night wondering what would happen if everyone found out. She still had the cash, what was left of it, which was still quite a lot. Lisa never counted the money or even looked at what denomination was on the bill wraps. If she knew how much money she had it would scare her even more and she knew that about herself. She learned that in eighth  grade when she cut her leg playing with the boys. When she looked at the gash it hurt even more but she noticed when she was talking to the school nurse it didn’t hurt at all and she wasn’t afraid. Lisa felt that ultimately they would be coming for the money. She would never give the gun back, not to someone she didn’t trust in the first place. And she had a different view on personal protection after coming into contact with Michael, she knew she needed some but not necessarily with a gun that was just how she felt at the moment.
Kevin was a very authoritative man. his stature was imposing at 6‘5“ and he always wore the robes that you think of monks wearing. He was spry for his age of 72 years and was often found strolling the grounds tending to his pepper garden or caring for a 50 year old rose bush. He walked with long strides with his hands clasped behind his back, not like he was in a race but as if he had somewhere definite to go. He took pride in his duties as Bishop, presiding over Baptisms and Communion. He didn’t do the actual work anymore but never missed a chance to be involved in everything that went on at the church.  But thing weren’t alway calm and peaceful as now.
He was a missionary in Indonesia for years and was taken prisoner, one time, and held for ransom. Of course, the church paid the ransom which was a ridiculous price to pay for a life, he thought, but he thought that way only because it was his life. While in captivity he was tortured for information that he knew nothing about and held in the jungle for six months. That is when  his captors made their ransom demand, after holding him for six months. He left Indonesia when he was in his late thirties and came back to the United States, whom he was always suspicious of, but was a welcoming site when he reached the west coast. He lived on nearly nothing in Indonesia and America looked like a hog farm to him. A place where society is reffered to as consumers and not people. As if all we do all day is try to get more for ourselves, which sadly is the truth for some. But not all, there still were some people that were concerned with the planet and not just their stomachs. Indonesia changes Kevin, but it didn’t make him hard as it would for some. It made him more compassionate toward the human condition and that is the gift he brought back from ten years as a missionary.
The little altar boy that saw Lisa knew who she was because he had a brother in the neighborhood gang and soon enough everyone knew that she was at the church. Tabitha not only betrayed Lisa but was now mobilizing a group to get the money from her, in the church or not. Rod was part of that group, but he didn’t feel good about doing her dirty again.
So, one night when everyone was not hanging out, he went to the church. He was scared, though, he had betrayed Lisa whom he actually liked and now he was about to betray the gang. If they found out he would be dealt with harshly, probably shot due to the amount of cash. But when he was with Lisa, Rodrigo was able to drop the tough guy persona that is necessary to be a gang-banger and she was just a girl, not some hardened Chola ready to cut someone. They could be themselves around each other with no pretenses and Rod liked that. She was the only one besides his parents whom he could be himself in front of.  He knocked on the door of the church as the full moon watched from above and a cat, darting across the parking lot, spied ion him with gleaming eyes. Nobody answered. He knocked again and again, hoping that no one would drive by and see him. The church open up onto a main thorough fair. After the fourth knock he got a weary but concerned Kevin opening the door.
“Hello?” Kevin asked as he straightened his glasses to get a proper picture of who it was that was knocking at his door so late.
‘Hi, you don’t know me, but I know that Lisa is in there and I have some important news for her.” Rodrigo said as sincerely as possible.
“Well, you’ll have to excuse me.” Kevin said closing the door on Rod. He made his way to their room and knocked gently, if they didn’t answer this guy at the door would just have to come back at a later time. The door cracked and Lisa answered.
“Yes, is there a problem?”Lisa said, inside knowing that there was.
“Forgive me for waking you, but there is someone at the door who says he knows that you are here and he has news you should here.” Kevin said
Lisa’s head was spinning trying to figure out who could be at the door. She wasn’t going to leave, whoever it was, for Kevin to deal with. She asked Kevin to take her to the door. He escorted her through the halls of the old church to the front door and squeamishly poked her head out of the tall heavy wooden door and to her utter disbelief it was Rodrigo. And instantly he started pleading,
“Please! Just listen to me! I really meant everything I said to you while we were together... even the ‘I love you’ part.” Rod stopped and there was complete silence, the kind where a child is told their punishment and it takes a second to compute
“Then why did you try to jack me?” Lisa fires back.
“Because the gang...you know how it is,” Rod sighs,”I didn’t want to do that but the gang elected me, I think because they knew that I liked you.” he finishes and inside he is cringing waiting for her responds.
“So, what are you doing here, now?” Lisa is softened up as any girl would be when a man she likes says he loves her, but she’s not stupid or gullible and her guard is still up.
“I’ve come to tell you that the gang knows you’re here and the only reason they’re not here now is because it’s a church. But they are planning to try to get you out so whatever happens, don’t leave this building.” Rod says.