What Happens When the TV Goes Dark
Today, the term news fasting was born. The hum of the repair shop isn’t just the sound of phones and laptops being revived. Sometimes, it’s the pulse of human conversation — raw, unfiltered, and unexpectedly revealing.
Yesterday, Bill leaned across the counter, eyes alive, voice tight with outrage. A story had gripped him from the news — a violent tragedy, a man with a knife, a young woman dead. Bill’s words came fast, layered with fury, frustration, and a sense of the world spiraling out of control. He wasn’t just relaying a story. He was embodying it.
I listened, not to debate facts, but to feel the current beneath his words. And when the moment opened, I made a gentle offering:
“Bill, what would happen if you turned the news off for one week?”
He barked a laugh. “That’s a stupid idea.”
But in his resistance, the truth revealed itself.
📺 News as a Daily Drug
Watching Bill was like watching someone defend a prescription. The dosage — nightly. The effects — agitation, anger, certainty that the world is crumbling.
Later that afternoon, an older couple came in with a laptop. I ordered them a battery, but along the way, I asked them how often they watched the news. “Every day,” they said. “Fox, mostly. Game shows sometimes. We’ve always had a TV.”
When I suggested a one-week break, their “No” came quick and firm. Not because they believed the news was nourishing — but because the habit was woven into their days like morning coffee.
And that’s when it clicked. For some, the news is no longer information. It’s medication. It soothes and agitates in equal measure, a drip-feed of fear and certainty, outrage and belonging. Like any drug, to imagine life without it feels unthinkable.
🌱 The Invitation to Fast
But what if we tried? What if we treated the news like we treat caffeine, alcohol, or social media? Something to fast from, to reset the nervous system, to see what life feels like without the constant drip?
For those who still watch nightly TV news, the challenge is simple: turn it off for seven days. No exceptions.
For those who don’t watch the news anymore (like me, who quit over a decade ago), the invitation shifts: look at your phone. What app has its hooks in you? Instagram? YouTube? The endless scroll of TikTok or Facebook? Take a seven-day fast from that.
The point isn’t deprivation. It’s discovery. To notice what rises in the silence. To realize that the world still turns, the birds still sing, the neighbor still waves — even without the daily sacrament of outrage.
🔔 A Small, Radical Experiment
You don’t have to believe me. You don’t even have to agree with Bill or the couple. Just try it. Seven days. Turn it off.
And then ask yourself:
- How does my body feel without the constant drip of news or feeds?
- What voices do I hear when the TV or phone goes dark?
- What comes alive in me when I reclaim my own attention?
Because in the end, the repair shop isn’t just about fixing devices. Sometimes it’s about fixing what the devices have done to us.