I am a big fan of fiction and television. I can honestly say that I have spent thousands of hours watching television and reading fiction, but what has that done for me? Have those clothes given me more than entertainment in exchange for a large part of my life?

A relatively recent invention replaced the VCR and made the television experience much more convenient for the consumer. This invention is the digital video recorder (DVR) and it takes most of the effort to record your favorite shows. For the most part, all you need to do is find a program code and enter it into your DVR and it will find and record your shows. You no longer have to run home to make sure you watch American Idol or whatever, you can relax, it’s TiVo’d.

But with a lot of the shows on TV, it doesn’t matter exactly when you watch it, it’s just having it at your beck and call, so it can end up piling up. Before you know it, you have hundreds of hours waiting for you. Worse, it’s all your favorite shows, so what are you going to do? You can remove them or have marathon weekend events to catch up on everything under the sun. Glued to your set and ignoring the beautiful days and friends and events that are live and in true 3D. No special glasses needed, we are all in 3D here in the real world.

So there are people, sitting in front of their TVs watching shows about fictional people in fictional relationships while their real relationships and friends slowly fade away. Is this the kind of world we live in? Perhaps the biggest question is, is this the kind of world you choose to live in?

I am totally in favor of some fiction like escapism, but there are lives that suffer for this. Communication between spouses or families takes a back seat while we see what the Kardashians are up to. (And let me assure you, that show is fiction, too. If you think they’ve always acted like that, you’re wrong. So much scripted and made-up drama, all in the name of ratings.)

Have respect for yourself and those around you and those who impact you. You are unique and have so much to offer, and yet you (and I) waste time on fiction while life goes on without us. Let’s change that starting today.