I have a confession to make. I haven’t owned a TV since I left my parents’ house in 2006. And even then, can I honestly say that I really owned that TV? But, now that life is starting to settle down, I’ve thought about it. A bit. And honestly, it’s not from a place of smugness. It just felt like it’s more hassle than it’s worth.
The Case for a TV
Now, that’s not to say that there isn’t a case for having a TV. Hell, in CGP Grey’s video about “Spaceship You”, he talks about separating your space into areas – creation, couch, sleep, and fitness.
And writing this post on my laptop in bed, I know I’m failing miserably at it. This was easier to justify when I was sharing one room (just one very crowded room) with my husband. Now that I have my own apartment and I’m on my own, that reason evaporates. I do need to be a bit more mindful about my living space. A TV could accomplish that. Hell, it could even allow me to play video games on my couch without having to be mindful about my Steam Deck’s battery life. Just plug in the dock, get a controller (probably an 8bitdo controller or something like that because Valve seems to be taking their sweet ass time working through the Steam Controller reservation queue).
And maybe one day, I’ll get my own TV. I’d probably wait until I’m homelabbin’ it.
That one time when I was living with my ex who had a TV
You see, my soon-to-be-ex-husband has a TV. And for the almost nine months I lived with him, he used it a lot more than I did. When I would want to watch or listen to something, I usually just played it on my laptop or phone and put headphones on if he was in there. I could do this and work on whatever was catching my fancy. Sometimes picture in picture on my laptop, sometimes listening to a YouTube video while playing a video game on my Steam Deck.
Do I really need a TV?
Honestly, I’d say no. I’m not Homer Simpson, I can live without TV. I can also live without beer too, but that’s never been one of my vices.
I play games on my Steam Deck, I watch shit on my laptop and my phone. A TV just seems like a huge waste of real estate. But you know what I do need? This magnificent fucking whiteboard Carol had in Pluribus. After all, I have 25 fucking novels to plan out. Okay, 24 and one short story. A whiteboard would give me much more use than a fucking TV.
But if we’re talking about what deserves space in my apartment, there’s one more thing on the list and it’s not a TV. It’s an altar.
An altar?
Yes, an altar. Now, Crowley had some ideas on an altar (part II, chapter 3 of Liber ABA comes to mind). Every occultist seems to have ideas on building an altar. Donald Michael Kraig wrote a two part series on Llewellyn’s blog on building an altar. Part 1 covers the construction of the altar and Part 2 covers finishing touches like doors, door handles, and shephard casters. Tess Whitehurst wrote an article on Llewellyn’s blog about a… self-love altar? But I think a response on this thread from the College of Thelema’s forums gives me a good idea.
Your altar, your universe, my friend.
Jim Eshelman
And maybe that’s the key, isn’t it? A lot of these are suggestions. I can build my altar how I damn well please. Crowley’s advice may be a good baseline, but I’m not beholden to that.
Also, I’m committing myself to the work of attaining Knowledge & Conversation of my Holy Guardian Angel.
One must have a house where proper precautions against disturbance can be taken; this being arranged, there is really nothing to do but to aspire with increasing fervor and concentration, for six months, towards the obtaining of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.
Aleister Crowley
Problem is… I’m dealing with a divorce so I’m kinda making do with what I have. But one thing I do know is having a TV would set me further from that goal, not closer.
In Conclusion
Do I really need a TV? No. Are there things that could occupy that space that would be much better than TV? Yes. Am I gonna get one some time in the future? Probably. Just not in this apartment. I’ve got more important things to build. After all, I have novels to write and the Great Work to prosecute.
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