A remote life lesson

By Chris Trout | November 24, 2008

Warning: This reflection contains the oh-so-politically-incorrect word "dumb." But let's call a spade a spade, huh?

I'm one of those cheapskates who still has an analog TV and no cable service. In preparation for the US shift to digital-only TV signals, there is now a black "converter box" next to the TV.

The problem is, when I use the remote to turn on the TV, I turn on the converter box, too (though it won't turn off the same way).  Right now, I don't want the converter box on, so I've either got to get up off my duff and turn the TV on by hand (horrors!) or leave it off. (Oh, don't get all judgmental on me.)

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that if I bounced the signal off the wall, it turned on only the TV. Great, right? So there I am, pointing the remote at the wall thinking, "This is so dumb, the TVs over there!"  Every time, I'm thinking this. Two weeks later, I'm still thinking this… every time. Now how dumb is that? 

Are you following this? I discovered what works, I don't have to get up off my duff, and no small animals were harmed in the making of this solution. But I'm still judging it! It's still an irritation! Is this sounding familiar to any of you?

Then it dawned on me that this is exactly what I do in other parts of my life, especially with the people I am closest to. I'll know what works, what makes me (and them) happy, what is healthy and valuable. I can see that it produces better results. Yet that that little voice inside can still be standing there like a spoiled child saying, "I shouldn't have to see it a new way!"  And before I know it, I'm back doing what never worked in the first place. To extend the metaphor, I'm back to pointing the remote directly at the TV and grumbling as I get up to turn off the converter box. Amazing.

So the big challenge may not be so much how we see or what we understand, but quieting the old voices inside long enough to allow the rest of our system to catch up. How do you do it?