What Job Is The TV Doing In Your Home?

If someone tells me, “I need a TV, and I love modern contemporary designs,” I have to be humble before I argue with their preference. Maybe there’s something in what they’re saying that I need to hear. I want to understand why those things matter to them.

That means asking a direct question: What job is the TV doing for you?

I need to understand the real reason behind the request, even if I don’t share the preference. Is it about entertainment, the way the room looks, or how someone wants to spend time with friends? Those are different reasons for asking for the same feature.

If the TV is the center of a home, I want to understand how the family uses it. Is this where everyone gets together? What other ways of connecting do they want the house to make room for?

What job is that TV doing that a book couldn’t do? Or a board game? Or going outside together?

I think there may be something there that people haven’t thought through. And humility means I have to examine my own reaction, too. Before I push back on the TV or the contemporary design, I need to understand what the person hopes to get from it.