Happy Mr. Rogers Day! … (02/27/12)
“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.” ~ Fred Rogers
Nine years ago today, Fred Rogers passed on at the age of 74 (almost 75).
He left a legacy of Kindness & Generosity & Caring that is still in high demand … How odd then, when I researched his life online, I found so many distortions of his Truth:
… that he was a child molester (false!),
… that he was a sniper in the Marines (false!),
… even that he “flipped the bird” to the audience of his last show (false! false! false!) …
It’s almost as though the human ego cannot bear to see another person attain the heights of Love that are possible for us all; that instead of reveling in their courageous achievement and allowing it to inspire us to similar heights, we denigrate and distort in order to soothe our lack of faith in our own ability to do similar Good.
Well, there is some Good News today:
EVERY ONE OF YOU IS AS KIND & AS GIVING & AS CARING AS FRED ROGERS EVER WAS!
All that remains is for you to go forth today and act accordingly — one moment at a time.
Fred Rogers reminded us all that LOVE is a verb, enlivened in times when Love is most difficult to give …
So … got LOVE?
“Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of that jewel. A facet of that jewel. And in the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal … If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person. … How sad it is that we give up on people who are essentially just like us … 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 [giving] that proves more powerful than greed.” ~ Fred Rogers
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