{"id":1485,"date":"2018-08-21T13:51:46","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T17:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/consistent-life.org\/blog\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2018-08-21T21:40:52","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T01:40:52","slug":"mister-rogers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/consistent-life.org\/blog\/index.php\/2018\/08\/21\/mister-rogers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Value People Like Mister Rogers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Andrew Hocking<\/span><\/p>\n

NOTE: Fred Rogers continues to receive media attention beyond the documentary discussed here. Tom Hanks will be portraying Mr. Rogers in an upcoming movie, \u201c<\/span><\/em>You Are My Friend<\/span><\/a>\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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The new documentary, <\/span>Won\u2019t You Be My Neighbor<\/span><\/em>,<\/em> reveals how Mister Rogers valued others. If you\u2019ve never watched his television shows, you can still learn from his example and see how a thoroughly consistent life ethic transforms how we view others and even ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Deep Consistency<\/span><\/h3>\n

Towards the end of the documentary, the film notes <\/span>that many people<\/span> criticized Rogers\u2019 message of affirmation. A few clips, <\/span>including one from Fox News<\/span><\/a>, argued that telling children they were special led to an entitlement mentality. Commenters proposed an alternate message, \u201cIf you <\/span>wanna<\/span> be special, you\u2019re <\/span>gonna<\/span> have to work hard.\u201d I suspect some of these individuals, especially if they\u2019re on Fox News, would self-identify as pro-life. But doesn\u2019t <\/span>being pro-life<\/span> require the belief in human dignity, or being special, apart from our actions? The hypocrisy and inconsistency astound.<\/span><\/p>\n

In contrast, Rogers presented a consistent political message. In the middle of the Vietnam War, the first week of <\/span>Mister Rogers\u2019 Neighborhood<\/span> exposed the folly of militarism (and of building walls due to fear) while also demonstrating successful peaceful opposition. Later, when the news reported a white man pouring acid into a pool with black swimmers, Rogers and the African-American Officer Clemmons soaked their feet together in a children\u2019s pool.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What about us? If you\u2019re subscribed to the Consistent Life blog, you likely identify with the Consistent Life Ethic. (If you\u2019re not subscribed, you should do so<\/span>: see the right-hand sidebar to subscribe both to the blog and Consistent Life\u2019s weekly e-newsletter <\/span>Peace and Life Connections<\/span><\/a>.) Nevertheless, having the word \u201cconsistent\u201d in the name doesn<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t make us immune to hypocrisy.<\/span><\/div>\n
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I truly believe the Consistent Life Network <\/span>(CLN) <\/span>proclaims a consistent political philosophy, but Fred Rogers\u2019 message goes deeper than politics. Instead, his <\/span>belief in<\/span> human dignity was fundamental to how he viewed others and himself. With disdain towards most children’s\u2019 television, Rogers intentionally offered an alternative, not only to violent cartoons, but <\/span>to <\/span>any clowning around that makes a person the butt of the joke. <\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, Mister Rogers affirms, \u201cYou always make each day such a special day. You know how\u2014by just your being you. There\u2019s only one person in the whole world like you. And people can like you just the way you are.\u201d In the documentary, the actor who played Officer Clemmons, Francois Clemmons, recollects when he truly realized Fred Rogers loved him just as he is. It took two years of hearing him say it, but when he grasped the affection, Rogers became like a surrogate father to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rogers\u2019 influence flowed from his consistency, his integrity. He truly cared. His compassion and\u00a0<\/span>empathy shined in his smile, soft voice, patient listening, and bold proclamations of value.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Contemplating Value<\/span><\/h3>\n

At last year\u2019s CLN conference, my wife picked up a sticker <\/span>produced by CLN member group <\/span>Rehumanize International<\/span><\/a>. T<\/span>he <\/span>sticker featured the <\/span>word \u201c<\/span>sonder<\/span><\/a>\u201d and the definition, \u201cthe realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.\u201d This is worth contemplating, frequently.<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/span>n a similar vein, I\u2019m the father of a toddler and I\u2019m continually amazed by him, amazed by the gut knowledge that he\u2019s incomprehensibly valuable. At the same time, I realize it’s not only him. Every person matches his importance. <\/span><\/p>\n

An ordained minister, Rogers\u2019 spirituality shaped how he viewed others. <\/span>I am someone who s<\/span>har<\/span>es<\/span> his faith, <\/span>and <\/span>I believe my feelings towards my son echo only a fraction of how God feels towards each person. I endeavor to purposefully view people as <\/span>being as <\/span>beloved as my son.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not stop short at valuing lives before the law but strive to consistently value others in every interaction. Let us do what we must to ingrain this belief into our thoughts and words.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hardest Person to Value<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"Perhaps the final step of our consistency is to believe we, as individuals, have value. In one clip, Daniel Tiger confesses to Lady <\/span>Aberlin<\/span> that he worries he is a mistake. Politically, we defend the lives of the unborn when others would label them a mistake, but do we secretly wonder <\/span>if we<\/span> ourselves<\/span> are a mistake<\/span>? Rogers understood how commonplace insecurity is among children as well as adults.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of you have worked tirelessly on behalf of those who have been considered expendable. You know they\u2014the unborn, the inmate, the refugee, the minority\u2014have dignity and are worth being fought for. So are you. You deserve the love you\u2019ve poured out for others, and not because of anything you\u2019ve done. You just do. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some of us need to sonder. Perhaps others of us need to do the opposite and acknowledge our own unconditional dignity as we\u2019ve done for others.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Being a Neighbor like Mister Rogers<\/span><\/h3>\n

Watch or re<\/span>watch <\/span>Mister Rogers Neighborhood<\/span>. Go see the new documentary.<\/span><\/p>\n

More importantly, reflect on your value and the value of others. Ground your political beliefs<\/span> <\/span>and personal interactions\u00a0<\/span> <\/span>in a deep<\/span> worldview<\/span>. Personally, I find that as I seek to know and understand God, I can see others (and myself) from His loving perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, be like Fred Rogers, and communicate to others that they are valuable, not because of what they do, but because of who they are. In <\/span>The<\/span> World According to Mister Rogers<\/span><\/em>, he writes, \u201cAs human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has\u2014or ever will have\u2014something inside that is unique to all time.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew Hocking writes about <\/span><\/em>spirituality in movies, TV, and books<\/span><\/a> and frequently discusses <\/span><\/em>politics<\/span><\/a> from a consistent life perspective.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

See also our blog post on\u00a0 his commentary on<\/em> Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Andrew Hocking NOTE: Fred Rogers continues to receive media attention beyond the documentary discussed here. Tom Hanks will be portraying Mr. Rogers in an upcoming movie, \u201cYou Are My Friend\u201d   The new documentary, Won\u2019t You Be My Neighbor, reveals how Mister Rogers valued others. If you\u2019ve never watched his television shows, you can… <\/p>\n