My Self has Changed Since Then... (from previous blog)

Hello to whoever's reading this, So I've never done a blog (at least a non political one) or whatever this is before but I guess I'll start. I dont actually know what I'm supposed to write about so here's something that's been on my mind recently....

Lately, I've been really irritated with what I'm seeing in movies and on tv. The vast majority of movies and shows are completely devoid of any real meaning. I understand that not all tv falls into this category, but I cant seem to find any justification for watching most things. Although it wasnt long ago that television occupied the majority of my spare time, I just cant understand sitting down to waste an hour or two of my time while exposing myself to violence, sex, and profanity...and that doesnt even cover half of it. 

If I count up all the hours each week I spend watching tv/movies, I'd probably come up with a number somewhere in the vecinity of 5-8 hrs. Wow. It doesnt even feel like I watch much and I certainly watched much more in the past, but still, that's a lot of time. What a waste! ...and then I complain about not having enough time. no time for God. no time for family. no time for school. For whatever reason, I allow tv to completely rearrange my priorities and in doing so I become preoccupied with even more things that shouldnt be on my mind. 

Here's the part that really bothers me about tv. The images and words I allow myself to see and hear are going to remain in my memory for a very long time. I have images in my head from movies I saw 10 years ago. Is Hollywood's portrayal of life really what I want to be feeding myself? I was so frustrated by this a few years ago that I made a commitment not to watch television or movies for a year. I lasted one month. I'm not a big fan of making promises I cant keep so I'm not gonna make another commitment like that one. But this is seriously having a negative effect on my thoughts. 

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 to think about things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Right now I'm really struggling with that and I'm not even sure how to handle it. I'm not as close to God as I should be and right now it feels really obvious.