Advertising causes illness. It is the sign of a sick mind. Some, a small amount, is okay. Consider advertising like alcohol. Surely have a beer with lunch. Have a glass of wine with dinner. Enjoy it. A little here, a little there, not a problem. Imagine if you spent all day, every day drunk. Completely hammered wandering around the planet doing what you do every day. That is the point that the average person has reached with advertising.

5 years. 5 years have passed since the T.V. was removed from the living room. Initially the absence was noticed. Then, gradually that was gone too. The interest is gone. The idea of sitting in front of a box spewing ads invokes feelings of trepidation. Listening to ads on the radio ruins the experience of the music. Having ads in line with articles in newspapers and magazines, devalues the article. It says, “Your time reading is so unimportant that we will be happy to distract you with this ad.”

What is to be done?

First, get rid of the damn idiot box. You are not meant to be a passive victim of life as it happens to you. There is a difference between taking some time to be entertained by watching a show and taking some time to watch ads with a little entertainment thrown in. This is why iTunes exists.

Buy a season of Walking Dead (or whatever you like to watch), watch it, and be entertained. Notice that you do not sit through a single advertisement. The season may cost $40, $50, or $60 dollars. This is good for two reasons. First, you watch what truly has value to you (watch how quickly crap like Jersey Shore disappears from production). Second, you do not pay for watching advertising. You can always earn more money; you CAN NOT earn more time. You get the same 24 hours to spend that everyone else does, and spending it on advertising is costly.

Why spend money on a season of T.V. shows that you can get for free? I KNOW you are asking this. And, you are lying to yourself. If you get rid of your T.V. you get rid of cable too. You save $60 dollars a month on cable. Buy a season of a T.V. show every month, and watch it ad free. You are only paying for what you watch with BOTH time AND money. You are no longer PAYING TO WATCH ADS! Think about that for a moment. YOU PAY TO WATCH ADS! The added benefit of buying the season, you get to watch it whenever you want.

Next, stop listening to radio stations that have ads. You can pay for ad free music using XM, listen to public radio, or become an amateur radio operator. All three of these options allow you to avoid ads. The first one allows you to listen to music, the second will allow you to know what is happening, and can even educate you. If you like to participate in radio, become an amateur radio operator. Then, you can talk to people world wide and offer a public service.

Buy books and subscribe to trade journals.

The idea is simply this. Take back your life. Stop being a passive meat bag. If someone offers you a good or service, and the product is exceptional in some way, let people know. Word of mouth advertising is the equivalent of a beer with lunch. It is responsible use of advertising. Decide that you will not be an empty space for rent.