As many of you know, I love film as an art form. Usually at least once a year I attend a film festival, and some years I have attended two! At one of these festivals I saw a film entitled Won’t You Be My Neighbor? The film was showing at the Rafael Theater, in my hometown. It is a documentary about Fred Rogers who created and starred in the children’s TV show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I had a lovely conversation with a friend about the film.
During the film, it was revealed that Mr. Rogers was overweight as a child and was bullied by other children. He had a sense of insecurity due to this mean behavior and devoted his life to letting children know he appreciated their uniqueness. He ended every show by saying “You have made this a special day, by just being you. There’s no person in the world like you; and I like you just the way you are.”
He encouraged children to talk about their feelings so that they would not feel alone. He encouraged children to take responsibility for making our world a better place. He was not afraid to talk on the air about subjects that were considered taboo at the time—like divorce, racism, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., disability, the Cold War, and nuclear war. These are topics that children needed to understand, and he explained things in a way that was non-judgmental and kind. He helped children learn from the traumas of childhood.
Mr. Rogers’ kindness and positive attitude affected millions of people.
He once said, “when I say it’s you I like, I’m talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.”
He was not afraid to stand up for what he believed. Fred Rogers gave an amazing testimony before the US Senate Committee in May 1969 that resulted in continued funding for public television. During this testimony he said, “you know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And, consequently, the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they're loved and capable of loving.”
I couldn’t agree with him more than when he said, “Children are to be respected and I respect them deeply. They've taught me an awful lot.”
コメント