The
Beatitudes of Mister Rogers
A
reflection on the life and teachings of Mister Rogers
By
Brian Nixon, Special to ASSIST News Service
EDITOR’S
NOTE: As a college student in 1968, I felt that I was “too old” for Mr. Rogers.
Now that I’m 70, I can appreciate what he did and what he stood for.
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO—Ok, I admit it:
I’m a Mister Rogers junkie. I’ve been
one for a long time; over 45 years of watching the man in the cardigan. Even
for my recent birthday—49 years old, my daughter bought me a Mister Rogers
saint candle. I lit it up with
pride. And when PBS conducted a
fundraiser using Mister Rogers as the lure, I bit. I’m now a proud owner of a Mister Rogers mug,
bag, and DVD set. I told you, a junkie.
Like most kids growing up in the early 1970’s,
Mister Rogers was a daily presence in our lives: TV programs on PBS, books by
Rogers, and the songs that got stuck in your head” “It’s a beautiful day in the
neighborhood…Won’t you be my neighbor?”
Mister Rogers was everywhere. I
could give you a list of episodes I remember, but my favorite usually revolved
around music, something that resonated in our family of musicians.
But then something
happened: my musical parents got a divorce.
And in hindsight, I think Mister Rogers helped me through that difficult
period in my life. In a way, Mister
Rogers became a peaceful friend, someone that you could listen to and learn
from. And as a Presbyterian minister,
Rogers adages were spiritual sayings cloaked as affable advice (as we’ll see
soon). As an adult, Mister Rogers helped
a five-year-old cope with something the boy didn’t comprehend.
As Rogers was
everywhere in the late 60’s and early 70’s, so, too, he is today, fifteen years
after his death. There’s the fabulous
documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, the forthcoming Hollywood movie starring
Tom Hanks, and a couple of documentaries made by PBS, Mister Rogers & Me,
and It’s You I Like.
But don’t leave off the books; books were
important to Mister Rogers. Here’s
several books of note.
I recently read
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King. It is
marvelous, a full, but unfettered, account of Rogers life, ministry, and
work. And then there’s Peaceful Neighbor
by Michael Long. Long’s book explores
the deeper sociological and theological implications of Fred Rogers life and
worldview, which, as the subtitle states, helps you discover “The
Countercultural Mister Rogers.” As one can ascertain from the title, Long’s
book’s emphasis is on Rogers view of peace.
The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth explores the
spiritual life of Fred Rogers, looking to people Rogers sought for solace and
insight such as Henri Nouwen. Charles
River edits a collection of essays celebrating the life and legacy of Fred
Rogers. And these are just some of the
books about Mister Rogers. If you were
to get books by Fred Rogers (some posthumously), then the list grows by leaps
and bounds.
The question I
pose in this short article is: why is
Mister Rogers so appealing today, with a broad emphasis on his life and
work? I think the answer to the question
is complex, but with simple overtones.
Kindness. The first reason I think people are attracted
to Mister Rogers is that he exudes kindness.
In a day and age of anger, animosity, and atrocities, it’s welcome to
have someone nice, someone that shows compassion and displays mercy. Fred said,
“What you do, do with kindness.”
Esteem. Due to his strong Christian faith, Mister
Rogers understood that each person is made in the image of God. With this, Mister Rogers promoted the adage,“You are special.” And though Mister Rogers wouldn’t deny people
are scarred by sin (he was, afterall, Presbyterian),
he chose to emphasize the uniqueness of the individual, a distinct group of
people created in God’s likeness.
Diversity. Mister Rogers understood that God was a
creative Being. Meaning, the Lord
created a diversity of plants, animals, and people; just look at the world and
you will see. Mister Rogers celebrated
this diversity by having a varied representation of people on his program:
people of color, people with special needs, people of all stripes, styles, and
nationalities.
Creativity. If one thing rang true with Mister Rogers,
the program celebrated creativity. From
the “Make Believe” of puppets and trolleys, to guest musicians, artists, and
actors, Mister Rogers Neighborhood was a place where creativity thrived. And when you add his classic compositions,
tunes we still sing today, to the creative palate, Mister Rogers was a imaginative genius, promoting
the arts to children like no other.
Community. Mister Rogers also encouraged community. His Neighborhood—similar to the one he grew
up in Pennsylvania, was a reminder that community counts. And unlike today, where many people don’t
know their neighbors, in Mister Rogers Neighborhood you knew everyone, from the
postman to the shoemaker, and everyone was welcome in his home.
Education. Though not as explicit (meaning the kids
didn’t sit at a desk), Mister Rogers promoted education and knowledge. We learned something by watching his program. On the various excursions he took to music
stores, book stores, and various businesses, people got a sense of what makes
the world tick and interesting. Working
with various child development professionals, Mister Rogers Neighborhood was a
school of the world.
Care for
Creation. Mister Rogers taught the
importance for the care of all creation. From the fish he fed, the animals he
highlighted on his broadcast, to the hug he got from Koko the gorilla (one of
the moving scenes in the documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor), Mister Rogers
demonstrated that all life matters.
Beatitudes.
Mister Rogers spoke his own Proverb-like sayings, but underneath each,
one could find the Beatitudes of Jesus.
Themes such as mercy, peace, right-living, and purity are cloaked in
Fred’s adages. Rogers’ various sayings were either directly or indirectly
related to the teachings of Jesus, particularly those found in the Sermon on
the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Put another
way, Mister Rogers took his plays from another playbook: Jesus.
Here’s just a few to think about:
Fred said,
“Anything is possible.” Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew
19:26).
Fred said, “Won’t
you be my neighbor” and talked about responsibility. Jesus told a story about
being a neighbor in the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), and the responsibility to other
people.
Fred said, “Love
isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that
person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.” Jesus, of course, exuded love in all He did
and said, but also told us to “love God” and “your neighbor as yourself” (Luke
10:27).
I think Fred’s
saying are summarized by the Golden Rule taught by Jesus: “Therefore, all
things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them”
(Matthew 7:12).
Life. In short, Fred Rogers taught a whole
generation about life, the mystery of living in the garden of God’s good
creation. For Fred, life was a blessing.
And what we do with the blessing counts.
Rogers said, “The real issue in life is not how many blessings we have,
but what we do with our blessings. Some people have many blessings and hoard
them. Some have few and give everything away.” And speaking of mystery, that’s
how Rogers summarized our relationship with God. Rogers stated, “I believe that human beings
are God’s vessels of mystery and beauty.”
And that pretty much recaps what Mister Rogers taught about life: it is a gift from God, full of mystery and
beauty, live it to its fullness with kindness, respect, and love.
How we need more
Mister Rogers in our world today!