World History and the Meaning of Being Human – Myths, Storytelling, and Parenting – by Anissa Jones. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports
Over time, there has been hundreds of various myths developed by people all around the world – some of which are believed, and some are rejected. After pondering a myth that is connected to my family and my personal experience growing up, I was immediately brought back to the myth my family valued related to watching TV and blindness.
Growing up, my family was like any other typical American family. We loved being outside, cooking family dinners, and participated in many different community activities together. My two older siblings and I were involved in numerous sports, including soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, and figure skating. Even though our parents were constantly juggling the running-around-chaos, one thing was never forgotten – there was to be no more than 30 minutes of television in one sitting. Looking back now, I understand my parents’ rationale and I’m thankful for the rule they implemented. But back then, I always found myself starting another episode of my favorite TV show just to have it shut off once I hit the 30 minute mark, and asking my mom, “why only 30 minutes?!” The first few times I asked, she would just smile at me and walk away, but after I asked enough times, she responded with, “Anissa, you will go blind if you watch any longer!”
There was a method to her madness. My mother knew that there was no true connection between watching TV and going blind, but it gave her a great excuse to shut the television off and encourage me and my siblings to spend some time outside. Once I was old enough to understand, she told me the myth behind her parenting tactic. It all began back when she was a child. Ten years before my mom was born, General Electric sold color TV sets that were new and flashy – everyone wanted one, including my grandma at the time. Shortly after they were put on the market, it was discovered that they emitted a considerable amounts of radiation – “almost 100,000 times more than health officials consider safe” (You’ll go blind: does…). After my grandma found out the news, she became very weary of all televisions and believed every TV could cause someone to go blind. She had the same rule in place when it came to my mom watching TV – the only difference was that my grandma did it because she believed it could happen to my mom, not because she wanted her to participate in other activities (like playing outside). Either way, my mom and I both got the exercise we needed!
The textbook Worlds Together, Worlds Apart from Tignor et al. flashes some light on other global creation myths. One creation myth that stood out to me was a Hindu creation narrative. This narrative describes the creation of the universe by sacrifice of a creature called Purusha, or man. Purusha’s body parts began to form the world – “The moon was born from the mind, from the eye the sun was born; from the breath the wind was born” (Tignor et al., 2018, p. 5). Like the myth I discussed earlier about television and blindness, to some people, this may sound unusual. But, the importance of myths is that they bring meaning to life – whether that meaning is to get away from the TV and get exercise, or to believe that our world physically grew from a sacrificial man.
This myth, along with various creation myths discussed in Tignor’s Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, bring true light to humankind and what it means to be human. Myths give people purpose and meaning to life, and provide some explanation that people personally value of how we got to where we are today. They provoke critical thinking, and allow us to ponder who we are as individuals, and where we truly came from. Myths are a part of what makes us human.
References:
Tignor, R. et al. (2018). Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: a History of the World (5th edition).
New York, NY: W. W. Norton Company.
You’ll go blind: does watching television close-up really harm eyesight? Retrieved from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talk-tv-eyesight/
From Professor Liang’s Spring 2019 World History I [Online] class, Anissa is a Nursing student.
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Hi Anissa!
I really enjoyed reading about your family and the “rule” or “myth” that you guys grew up obeying. I think it is really interesting from a nursing perspective to think about the things that families believe, like telling kids that TV will make them go blind! Sometimes I think it’s important to think about what you believe in, what your family believes in, and how that impacts your life. In the Tignor book, when learning about Socrates the Greek philosopher it states “The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being”. I think that is why reflection on your own beliefs and values is so important.
Thanks for sharing!
Lexi
Anissa,
Thank you so much for sharing your story. When I was growing up we weren’t allowed to watch tv for long either, but I had never heard of the myth that it could make you go blind. Thats a great parenting tactic! It’s a great way to get kids to do other activities, such as go outside like you mentioned. I think as we continue to be in a world full of technology it’s good to remember to sign off or shut the tv off for awhile and be outside. It’s crazy to think of a world when there was no TV or internet, I feel as though many people nowadays couldn’t live without it. In Tignors, Worlds Together Worlds Apart, I have learned a great deal of how people lived and survived without having little to any of the tools that we have right at our fingertips today.
Great story thanks again for sharing!
Morgan
Anissa,
I really enjoyed reading your article and it made me reflect on my childhood years a lot. Growing up I was never really limited to how much screen time I could have but my best friend from as young as I can remember would always have to be outside given the weather was alright and we wouldn’t be allowed to go inside unless it was to go to the bathroom or grab a drink (even then, we would be looked at in a negative manner as we were inside). He was often limited to a short amount of screen time as well after the sun went down and it made me really realize the difference between our families when he was nervous to watch tv at my house because he usually couldn’t at his house. After talking with him about growing up and how he might raise his kids he’s decided as of now that he won’t make his kids be outside all of the time if they don’t want to be and I was wondering, do you have any plans to limit screen time of your kids (if you plan to have them, or already do) in the future? I feel that a lot of parenting techniques that we don’t understand when were younger come to be understood as we grow older and that’s why I ask your thoughts on the topic.
Regarding the Purusha as stated in Tignor’s, “Worlds Together, Worlds Apart” I’ve found it interesting that since the Hindu culture during the time believed in sacrificing, they didn’t view the sacrificial part or any of it really as “bad” like we might today. I also agree completely with your statement that creation myths give meaning to life and to add even more, I feel that they give answers to questions that we might not be able to answer. I really enjoyed reading your article Anissa, awesome job!
Evan
Hi Anissa-
I can relate to your childhood well as I too was told this myth growing up! Looking back on it I am so grateful, as you were, for her strict TV time limit as it forced me to do other activities that are more engaging! As you pointed out, the creation of myths can be based on incomplete facts or inaccurate facts but we will believe in them (or in this case make the kids believe in them!). When talking about human traits, “Worlds Together, Worlds Apart” names a few, “the abilities to make tools, engage in family life, use language, and refine cognitive abilities” (Tignor et al., p. 4). These are traits that we learn as a kid. If kids grow up watching TV they may not have the ability to be creative or imaginative. The time that they spend watching TV could interfere with the time spent with family and friends as well. Although this myth may not be 100% factual, it has a lot of benefits, especially for children.
– Hannah Holien
Anissa,
This was such a fun story to read. I feel like most people’s parents told them something along these lines. I remember my aunt told me if I drank pickle juice, I would get cancer. I think it’s particularly interesting that your mom drew on what her mother had told her although she didn’t necessarily agree with the reasoning behind it. She took the bit she liked and used it. In Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, Tignor writes “Others, like the Romans and Carthaginians, took from the new common culture what they liked and discarded the rest” (Tignor, 200). Much like the Romans and Carthaginians, your mother took what she liked from her mother’s warnings and left the rest.
Anissa,
What a great article. I was always told by my parents that if I watched too much T.V. or sat to close to it that I would go blind. It is nice to see that I was not the only person fooled by this as a child. It is an especially interesting experience that you mention your grandmother having that led to the tradition of banning long exposure to T.V. in your family. Creation myths like that are so gripping because they allow us to make more sense of the world around us by explaining phenomena like not constantly watching television in simple enough terms for a child to understand. The life behind this story is so colorful and fun. Thank your for sharing!
Anissa,
Awesome job on this article. I find your myth very interesting and it was a great read. I can relate a lot to this topic. My parents had a similar type of rule for my sister and I growing up and my parents had a few little myths behind these rules. I find it great that they made you guys do other things than sitting inside and watching tv. Do you feel that it was way more popular for people to sit inside and watch tv all day? I feel that its hard out in Minnesota to stay away from the TV now because of the weather out here. I completely agree with the connection you made with myths making us human. I never thought of it in that way before and it made me think a lot about how true that it. you connection with the book was spot on. Are you going to keep this myth going as you age?
anyways great post
Kyle
Hello Annissa.
The idea of myths have always fascinated me. They are part of what makes families and cultures significant and different. I love reading a learning about the different myths and connecting them to my own family and our stories. I thought it was a little funny that your mother carried the “blindness” from her own childhood experiences, but I can see the reasoning behind this theory. Especially, in today’s age, kids are watching excessive amounts of television or using some sort of advice rather than making memories. In Tignor’s Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, we learn about the spread of culture and it made me wonder if this is also how different myths spread. I’ve heard a lot of different creation and family myths and would love to learn about more! Thank you for sharing your myth.
Justice Bauer
Reblogged this on Professor Liang 梁弘明教授.
Anissa,
I enjoyed reading your article. My mom would often tell me I would go blind if I watch too much TV as well. Creation myths give humans life. I found this to be true after reading Tignor et. al. For example, a Hindu creation narrative was discussed in chapter one. This hymn gave the Vedic people meaning to their life. I compare this to today and humans trying to find meaning in their own life. Often times humans turn to religion or a part of their culture to find meaning in their lives and find how they came to existence. Thank you for sharing.
Alli
Hi Anissa,
I loved reading your story about growing up with a restriction in the length of television you could watch in one sitting. I think this idea is great as children are being exposed to more and more forms of technology and screen time at such a young age. My mom also had a funny skepticism with television, although hers was directly towards Spongebob. She hated when I watched that show because she stated it ‘dumbed me down’. I never try understood what she meant, but I now understand that she preferred when we were engaging in education activities or like your family- playing outside. I have always been curious what individuals in ancient history would think of our forms of entertainment and technological advancements. The Romans for example enjoyed entertainment as well: “It was a state of the art facility whose floor area, the arena, could handle elaborate hunts of exotic wild animals such as giraffes and elephants” (Tignor 265). How different of a world would be have if this was still our form of entertainment!
Sarah
Hi Anissa,
I loved reading your story about growing up with a restriction in the length of television you could watch in one sitting. I think this idea is great as children are being exposed to more and more forms of technology and screen time at such a young age. My mom also had a funny skepticism with television, although hers was directly towards Spongebob. She hated when I watched that show because she stated it ‘dumbed me down’. I never try understood what she meant, but I now understand that she preferred when we were engaging in education activities or like your family- playing outside. I have always been curious what individuals in ancient history would think of our forms of entertainment and technological advancements. The Romans for example enjoyed entertainment as well: “It was a state of the art facility whose floor area, the arena, could handle elaborate hunts of exotic wild animals such as giraffes and elephants” (Tignor 265). How different of a world would be have if this was still our form of entertainment!
Sarah
Anissa, this is a great story! I feel like we were all told some sorts of myths like this. At the moment they seemed so real to us as kids, but looking back now our parents were just looking out for us. I was told as a kid not to hang on the bars below our dock otherwise I’d get lockjaw. This is kind of true but not really. We all had our shots (tetanus) so there was basically no chance we’d get it. Our parents just did not like not being able to see us swim under there.
Hi Annisa,
I loved reading your story about growing up with a restriction in the length of television you could watch in one sitting. I think this idea is great as children are being exposed to more and more forms of technology and screen time at such a young age. My mom also had a funny skepticism with television, although hers was directly towards Spongebob. She hated when I watched that show because she stated it ‘dumbed me down’. I never try understood what she meant, but I now understand that she preferred when we were engaging in education activities or like your family- playing outside. I have always been curious what individuals in ancient history would think of our forms of entertainment and technological advancements. The Romans for example enjoyed entertainment as well: “It was a state of the art facility whose floor area, the arena, could handle elaborate hunts of exotic wild animals such as giraffes and elephants” (Tignor 265). How different of a world would be have if this was still our form of entertainment!
Sarah
Hi Annissa,
Thanks for sharing your families myth, I find it similar to my own family. We also had the “30 minute rule” and it was always so frustrating as a kid. Now I am thankful that I was outside playing instead of sitting and watching a screen all day. Right now in our textbook we are learning about the Roman Empire. They had some interesting social lifestyles, “Every self-respecting Roman town had at least two major entertainment venues” (Tignor et al., 2018, p. 264). I can only imagine the amount of family myths that this society held. Just thinking about the entertainment that the Colosseum provided gives me chills.
Thanks for sharing!
Kasey
Hi Annissa,
Thank you for sharing your awesome story! My family had a similar rule about television video games but they never told me I would go blind! Looking back on my life, I am also thankful that my parents implemented this rule because I would much rather enjoy the outdoors and engaging with others than watch television for hours. Reading my textbook I came across the Roman empire and how they had a “theater devoted to plays, dances and other popular events” (Tignor, 2018, pg. 264). People are drawn to entertainment. The Roman Empire created a place for people to come together and enjoy a piece of art. I think that going to plays and dances is much better than sitting in front of a screen, but they did not have to worry about that then.
Thank you for sharing!
Anissa,
Thank you for sharing your myth related to “TV’s and how they would make you go blind if you watched them long enough”. I can say that my family used this myth on me as well when I was younger and wanted to watch TV instead of going outside to do something productive. It is crazy how just once simple sentence, “TV can make you go blind from watching too much”, can influence children and even adults to stay away from TV’s, just to be on the safe side! The Roman’s innovated new two theaters into a single one, that was known as the amphitheater. “Westeners tend to think of these structures as normal and unusual. Seen from a contemporary Chinese perspective, however , they were strange and unusual” (Tignor et al., 2018, 265). Though we thought our parents were crazy and unusual for saying that TV will give us cancer is we watch it too long, we now understand the meaning behind it and think of it as more normal now.
Hi Anissa,
Thank you for sharing your family’s myth. My family had a similar rule and it limited our screen time as well. Looking back, I am thankful my parents had this rule. It allowed me to hang out with my siblings and neighbor kids. Tignor et. al discussed creation myths and how they make us humans. I had never realized that my beliefs were considered creation myths. In addition, just because they are myths does not mean they are not real. Maybe watching TV for endless hours would make you blind? I enjoy learning about creation myths other people have. It reminds me of my own and how much they mean to me.
Alli
Hi, Anissa!
I enjoyed reading your article. Growing up, I too had a set limit on television time. I can relate when you said that your mom would tell you to shut the television off as soon as you were invested into a show. When I was little, we only had one television in our house. I remember arguing with my little brother about what show we would watch. We rarely agreed, which cut into our allotted television time. In “Worlds Together, Worlds Apart,” Tignor et al discusses creation myths/narratives. Tignor et al. states, “For thousands of years, humans have constructed, out of their values and available evidence, narratives of how the world—and humans— came to be” (2018, p. 4). Perhaps your mother knew there was no evidence relating watching television that caused blindness, but clearly valued limited electronic time. I think that is a value many parents have, and perhaps more should now days!
Cute picture!
Kindly,
Grace
Hi Anissa,
Thank you for sharing your story! I really enjoyed readying the myth your family developed about TV and blindness. My family did not really have any set rules for me or my two older siblings, but if we needed to do chores or homework we were asked to finish those first. I do not really watch that much TV to this day, but it is interesting what some parents will come up with you ensure that you will listen to them.
Hi Anissa! Thank you for sharing this article with us. I think you are truly blessed to have a mother who was raised on that myth and used it to shape your life. Most people are so reliant on television and technology for entertainment these days that they don’t know what to do outside, even though that ought to come the most naturally. Appreciating the complexity of myths and their role in humans’ lives is really important in understanding human life. I think the need to understand the world through stories is a beautiful human feature. So whether it be understanding the creation of the world, or understanding how you ought to interact with the world now, myths are the best way to do it. Professor Liang said something about the idea that if we can make a story for children about climate change and make them understand it, then we will be in business to forge change for the future. Myths have been used to do this in the past and I think that is how we will continue to interpret the world going forward.
Hello Anissa,
I really enjoyed reading your article; it was especially amusing to hear about your mother’s excuse for you to not watch excessive television. Mostly because I think that is something the majority of parents do: rather than taking a long time to explain something to a young child just for them to not understand anyway, might as well make up something short and simple that the child will believe. I can’t personally can’t recall a myth I was told in order to prevent me from doing something, but I was definitely subject to the myth that eating the seeds of fruits would cause them to grow inside my stomach. Perhaps originally, that seemingly traditional myth was to prohibit small children from eating dangerous parts of fruits, like cores? Or maybe just for the sheer entertainment of family members (like as it was in my family). I could also relate to your article as I could only watch TV in small periods of time when I was younger. It certainly forced me to make mud pies outside, read books, or when really desperate, melt crayons on our old heater (not smart). I often think to myself how anybody, before modern day technology, could find enough to do to keep them occupied- and then of course I am reminded of the Romans in my World History course: “…from Hellenistic culture: a theater devoted to plays, dances, and other popular events. The other… a single, more elaborate structure called an amphitheater” (Tignor, p. 264). They’d just pop down the road for either something gory or artistic for their entertainment- not too unlike us pressing a TV remote button.
Anissa,
This was a intriguing article for me to read. It seems as if our parents had similar tactics for getting us away from the TV as I too often heard that watching too much TV will make you go blind. However, my mom was seemingly not as kind to inform me that this was actually a myth stemming from TV’s that emitted too much radiation. I was unaware of this fact and it is extremely interesting to me to hear. Your connection to myths from that was also interesting to read. Thank you for the interesting article.
Elijah
Anissa,
This was a very interesting read. I too remember my mom telling me that I would go blind if I played anymore video games. I think that she just wanted my brothers and I to get outside and enjoy the short summers we have in Minnesota. I remember though how annoyed I would get when my mom would unplug our GameCube before I had the chance to save the game. Many hours of game play was lost because of this. My mother’s power over me reminded me of the Roman’s authoritative power over their people (Tignor, et. al, 2018). What the emperor said went. There was no arguing with my mom when it came to having to do chores instead of playing video games. Looking back though, I am glad that she made me stop playing. I built social skills with my neighbors and friendships that still last to this day. I also built a work ethic that I still have to this day. Nice post!
Hello,
Thank you for sharing this very interesting post. Has I was growing up I was always very busy with sports, going to games and practices and when I got home i’d love to watch tv and play video games, but my parents always did thing’s to get me away from the television. They never told me I would go blind but they did get me outside because they thought it was a waste of a day to sit inside. Has we have been learning about the Roman empire its very interesting to know that big cities back then even had entertainment buildings. I think going out for life entertainment is a lot more beneficial than sitting at home watching it on tv. I find your parents rule a very good one and something that more people should use in their life’s.
Brett
Anissa,
I really enjoyed reading your article and making connections to my childhood. My mom also tried to limit the amount of time my sisters and I spent on electronics by using the same myth that we might go blind, but it never worked as well as it sounds like it did in your home. I find that nowadays it is especially important to restrict the amount of time children spend using electronics because it seems as if they spend the bulk of their childhoods in front of a screen. In order to do so, I think that these myths play a key role in teaching children restraint so that they don’t over do things such as using electronics. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Annisa!
What a lovely article! I genuinely really enjoyed reading this. What’s particularly interesting to me is that we can all relate to each other’s experiences. I grew up with my aunt and she always used to say that we would go blind if we watched tv for too long. They both had different reasoning for why they said that to us as kids but I believe it came from the same rationale. Too much of anything can’t be good for anyone!
Hello Annisa,
Thank you for sharing your wonderful article! I can relate to your story so much. When I was growing up in the Philippines, all that my siblings and I wanted to do was to watch the television and a lot of our neighbors wanted to be friends with us because we were one of the few families in the neighborhood that had one. But like your parents, my grandpa didn’t want us watching television at all. He would always say that it was only for adults and that children are supposed to play outside. He would also say that if we do end up watching television and we ended up seeing something that is not for kids like any kissing or sex scene, our eyes would start to bleed. My older brother never believed him so he kept watching TV and at the end, my Grandpa ended up putting the TV in his bedroom instead of the living room.
You mentioned your mother saying “You will go blind if you watch any longer.” This reminds me of technology today. Yes, some radiation should have possibly made you blind (most likely not)….. but when I saw that sentence, all I thought about is how much of watching TV is making us blind from really living our lives. Being glued in front of the TV takes us away from playing outside, meeting new friends, discovering things we should be discovering as a child or an adult. Just another way our technology is kind of taking away truly being connected with one another, like face to face communication. Overall, awesome post, Annisa!
Anissa – I really enjoyed your post and it reminded me of a “myth” from my own childhood. However, mine isn’t as helpful as something like “if you watch TV, you’ll go blind,” it’s more of just a story my grandma used to tell me and my cousins to entertain us. She would take us up into the woods above the train tracks behind her house to this huge rock (she often joked it was a meteor). She’d tell us all about when she used to play there as a little girl and about the deep split in the middle of the rock. She always said “if you’re climbing in the split when a train goes by, it will close up and you will get stuck,” so whenever we heard a train coming, we’d be sure to climb out of the rock really fast. “Myths” like these are shared experiences between all humans and through all periods of time, and I find that fascinating.
Anissa-
Your post was very interesting. Myths and storytelling is one of the most important ways to pass down traditions, culture, and history. They are of great importance, but I do somewhat feel like we are losing them. In today’s society people are very attached to social media. Talking with people and having genuine conversations are not seen as often as before. Those talks were the myths and the stories are told don’t occur as often because everyone is living through their screen. In a world like this it would be nice to have someone telling us to put our phones away after thirty minutes.
Itzy
Anissa,
I think this is a really cool connection of oral storytelling and contemporary society. What a wonderful myth to grow up with! I am sure that it benefited you and your family in the long run. I think more people should implement “myths” like this within their own families. It creates a fun, shared experience between families bringing them closer together, and can make a connection between generations. Thanks for sharing!
-Lili Tapper
Anissa,
Thank you for this article. It was very interesting, I have heard the myth that if you watch too much television you will go blind but I did not know that there once was some truth behind it. I think it is good to go outside and run around instead of sitting in front of the television all day. My parents made my brother and I do the same thing when we were little. I was like you and wanted to stay in and watch television but looking back at it I am glad I had to go play outside. Being outside is much healthier and I think you can have more fun! Thank you again for this article.
Ben