Watching TV is a sensation that is utterly without precedent. A hundred years ago there was nothing even remotely similar. It is like being fed with just enough stimuli to occupy the mind, just enough information is being pushed through that IV to your brain to keep you from realizing that you're just sitting on your ass doing nothing. Without that input, it would be impossible to sit still and stare for even half an hour. With it, there is a sensation of utter rest; the mind is just active enough in processing the information feed that there is no sensation of boredom, and a calm sets over one's mind, so that one says, "Yes, I am at rest now." Of course, in the world of business, an information feed directly into the mind is a valuable thing; it was perhaps inevitable that the ultimate purpose of TV would be to control the mind, get us to purchase and consume. And if you think the point of TV is the show you're mistaken; no, the point of the show is to get you to watch the commercials, not the other way around; the shows that get the most people to watch their commercials are continued, while those that don't are canceled. In the future they will simply attach a wire to the nerve endings in the fingertips or spine; the stimulus will pour directly into the brain, and it will be enough information for us not to feel bored. We will perhaps be so relaxed it will be a similar state to sleep; but we will be conscious enough to experience and remember and enjoy the stimulation, so that we will return to it. There is nothing quite like the sensation of resting that comes with TV. When we go to the theater or opera or ballet we are not quite resting; we are in a social situation, out on the town; it takes a cumbersome concentration and effort to conduct ourselves, and we do not feel at rest. But alone in the apartment, watching TV; or better yet, shutting the eyes and taking in an information feed directly to our brains via the nerves in our fingertips; this is the perfect stasis, the sensation of complete rest and yet awareness. This is what we need; reading a book compared to this is heavy labor.