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<title> Television Is it a Blessing or a Curse? </title>
Television takes up a large amount of our time. Between programmes, one doesnt usually stop to reflect on the influence it has on our lives. In the following lines I will try to mention some of the advantages and disadvantages of watching TV. 

In todays society, television is introduced to us at a very early age. Being born in the mid-seventies, I have grown up with TV and have no memory of the first time I watched it. But when I was small, there were only two channels and we had no video. In those days, there was only one childrens programme a day, whereas today there are several channels that specialize in childrens programmes. Consequently, the children of today spend much more time in front of the TV than my generation did. One might wonder if this development has been harmful. Apart from the fact that watching violent programmes is most likely not good for children (or for adults), the danger of watching a lot of TV lies in its taking time from other activities which are more important. I dont think that the increasing rate of dyslexia is a coincidence.

As mentioned above, the TV is a time-consuming device. It takes time that we could use for other things such as studying, spending time with family and friends or reading a book. To a certain degree, our lives are ruled by an ugly apparatus, which has found its way into every mans home. We adapt our other occupations to suit our TV habits. For example, I often change the time of my supper to make it coincide with a programme I want to watch. 

Nowadays, the time people spend with their family is often spent in front of the TV. As a result people dont know as much about their family members activities and views as they would do if the time spent in front of the TV had been used for family discussions. This is sad in many ways, and it becomes alarming when people now more about the characters in a TV series than about the members of their own family.1 

As outlined above, there are several disadvantages to watching a lot of TV. But as almost everything, television has advantages as well. Its a source of entertainment that can help us to relax after a hard days work. Especially after a long day of studying, it feels nice to do something different, i.e. to watch TV instead of reading a novel. There is nothing wrong with watching entertainment programmes as long as we dont let them take up too much of our time.

Television can also be a source of learning. There are educational programmes, for instance programmes that aim to teach us English. The news tells us about what is going on in the world and we can learn many different things from documentaries. TV programmes can also make us interested in a subject we wouldnt have thought about otherwise. As a consequence we might start to read books on this particular subject. For example, I once watched a fictional TV series about a girl who had to flee from Russia because of the Russian Revolution. This led me to read several books about the last tsar of Russia.

Another positive thing about television is that we can watch different kinds of sport. Reading about them in a newspaper doesnt give us the same experience at all. Just before writing these lines I watched figure skating which is my favourite sport (to watch). If it hadnt been for the TV, I would never have had the opportunity to watch figure skating.

In conclusion, there are both disadvantages and advantages of watching TV. It can take up too much of our time and make us change our day to suit it. But on the other hand TV is a source of learning and a source of entertainment. I believe that television is a good thing as long as we are able to limit how much we watch and dont let it rule our lives. Finally, I would like to recommend my three favourite TV series: Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea and Wind at my Back.
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