In this country, we have a bone-deep belief in the constant, unfailing drumbeat of progress, and on occasion when this perception of reality is challenged, we are left curious and seeking answers. I've recently been challenged with the revelation that I no longer have constant access to television. Television traditionally has taken up only a small portion of my day and I think I'll probably be better off without it, and yet there's a part of me that misses the brain melting, culture subjugating engine of commerce that is the television, and that part of me feels a sense of apprehension at the idea of more time reading, writing, and hiking, all of which contain a notorious lack of ad-driven revenue. Then again, maybe I need to get over my phony definition of progress marked by the newest technologies we possess, and learn to value the gradual but marked steps forward we take as human beings in creating a more inclusive, acooperative and caring society. Or there's always this.
