Media as Nutrition

I was listening to the Jason Schwartzman interview with Terry Gross on the way to work.  I guess his mom is Adrian (Talia Shire) in the Rocky movies and also Connie Corleone in the Godfather movies.  Interesting.  I really love his show Bored to Death on HBO, where he plays a struggling writer and part-time non-licensed private detective.  It's not really my type of show, it's a little too indie, but I love it.  It reminds me of a show that people who listen to emo, wear hand made clothing and drink herbal tea would watch.  I do all of those things by the way, but not exclusively.  Anyway, what I am trying to get at is that he was talking about how growing up, and even now, if you went into his mom's home, his childhood home, that there is always music, books opened on tables and movies playing, all over the house.  It gave me this warm sense of familiarity because I feel like that is how my home life is.  I am usually reading multiple books at once, I always have multiple styles of music playing in different rooms and I often have the TV on.  He was saying how he thought this type of constant media was enriching and "nutritional".  I love that he called it nutritional.  I hear on NPR and other places how we, as a society, can't just sit in quiet and just be and think.  I agree with that somewhat.  I don't think we need to be texting and messaging and running around like maniacs all day.  I believe though, that music and books and TV can not only entertain us, but enrich us, by giving us constantly changing perspectives and a variety of information that can broaden our horizons and keep us on our toes.
At the end of the day I am happiest when I have learned something, even if it is only information about another person or some silly tidbit of information.  I love the nutritional value of media.