I am grateful Mr. Rogers was my neighbor
Recently, I saw “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.” I was blessed to grow up watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood as a child and while I didn’t watch it every day it was a familiar face on PBS that I could watch and I knew that this man was talking to me in an honest and attainable way.
As an adult I can look back on the world he created and I truly appreciate the safe world he created for children. He was clear to show children the difference between real and make believe. While I didn’t realize it at the time, and I could clearly tell the voices were his, he never showed himself in the world of make believe.
The world was going through some really hard times in the late 1960’s, much like we are now. We had people going off to the Vietnam war, a war that was not popular and didn’t make sense as to why we were sending so many young men there to die, Robert Kennedy was shot, and so much more. It was a confusing time for parents and children. Mr. Roger’s didn’t shy away from these topics. He took them on. He looked them straight in the face, and talked about them. He even had show the first week about “building a wall.” King Friday the 13th was afraid and wanted to wall the kingdom away to keep everyone “safe.” But, the people floated in the concepts such as, “Love,” “Compassionate Cooperation,” and “Peace,” over the wall and convinced the King that a wall was not a good idea. Daniel the Tiger puppet asked about “assassination” when Robert Kennedy was killed, which helped kids understand what happened when, likely, their parents were having a difficult time coming to grips with it themselves. He did this many times over the years. He was a calm and soothing voice himself, through all his puppets, and the people in his neighborhood.
This man was who always stood up and made sure that he made a statement even if it wasn’t overt. When adults were doing awful things like throwing chemicals in pools simply because a black person dared to swim in it. He would have Office Clemmons come sit with is feet in his kiddy pool with him and share his towel. He even dried his feet. He didn’t have to say a single world to speak volumes. He simply acted on his beliefs.
I wasn’t raised with religion and I wouldn’t have pegged Mr. Rogers as anything but a good and decent man. Not once did I feel like I what he had to say was more than just what decent people do when you live together in society. He, like Jimmy Carter, lived his beliefs without thrusting his beliefs on others. Anyone who makes you want to emulate them not because of their beliefs but because of their humanity is a true representative of their faith.
In this documentary, they point out the number 143. That Mr. Rogers loved that number and stated he weighed 143 pounds every day of his adult life. While I don’t know about that, the meaning behind the number brought tears to my eyes. So much so, I am seriously considering having the number tattooed to my wrist as a daily reminder. He believed that the number 143 was the numerical representation of I Love You. 1 for I as it has one letter, 4 for Love for the four letters in Love, and 3 for You. If you look at the hand sign for I Love You, the fingers used to make those numbers are also involved. You use your index finger to make the number 1, you use your index and pinky to make up the number 4 and you use your index finger and thumb to make the number three.
In this tumultuous world today, I look for those around me who are standing up against hate. Who are showing expressions of love and, to use a word I heard from Dar Williams, “positive proximity.” Those who look toward ways to lift others up instead of tearing them down.
At the end of the documentary they talked about how we need more Mr. Roger’s in the world then posed the question to everyone in the film, if there were people who influenced their lives in a positive manner. Then they just silently switched from one person to another. As they pondered and teared up while they considered this. (Mr. Rogers was a master at using silence as a tool) Many mentioned their mothers. Others thought about a teacher or close friend. They finished with the quote that Mr. Rogers attributes to his mother.
“My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”
I think of Mrs. Maryanne Vines, my history professor from Northern Virginia Community College. She was a helper. She wanted to help every student succeed and see that they could be excellent students. She helped me realize I wanted to do the same thing.
As the lights came up in the theater, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Of course the people coming to this sort of film are those willing to hear the message and with a soft spot for this sort of man. But to know that a simple documentary about a simple man willing to talk to a generation of children to tell them that they mattered, could have that sort of impact, is so impressive.
Yes, there are detractors in this world who didn’t get that Mr. Rogers’ message wasn’t about entitlement and wasn’t about the “everyone gets a trophy.” It was about the simple fact that everyone matters and everyone deserves respect an love. His message was about love in a world that was about crush, beat, and degrade everywhere else. I believe we could use a bit more of that these days.
