Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood. A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

OK – time to take a break from the Kavanaugh FBI investigation and think about something uplifting for a few minutes! 🙂

I’m officially back in NYC after a beautiful time at home in Ohio.

One of my favorite parts of being at home, is being able to spend quality time with my parents. After my mom’s stroke, I’ve really come to appreciate just how a) fragile life is, and b) how precious the time is that we have with our loved ones.

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So honestly, my favorite moments are just when we’re hanging out together, enjoying an evening bourbon outside under the stars, or hunkering down with a bowl of popcorn and a Netflix movie in our jammies.

Well, this last trip, we ended up watching the Mister Rogers’ documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor. 

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And if you receive my newsletter then you will recall that I mentioned this excellent documentary as one of my film recommendations earlier in the week.

But this film so profoundly moved me that I just had to share it with you.

We need more people like Fred Rogers in this world.

This man’s life was a gift. Using his life to teach children (and adults) the true power of kindness from the 60s to 2001, on his iconic television ministry: Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. 

Fred Rogers, who himself was an ordained minister, was showing people how to live a Christian life, one sweater at a time.

But that’s enough back story. You don’t need to read a book report on how incredible of a human this gentle man was.

I want to talk about why Mister Rogers matters today. Right here. Right now.

One of the things his show was famous for, was the way it tackled current events, and the delicate and gentle way he explained them to children.

During its prime time, the world was a scary place, with wars and assassinations, and segregation and racial tensions and riots.

Mister Rogers was constantly challenging those fears and prejudices, simply through the actions of a good neighbor: welcoming people into his home and sharing a meal – or sharing a swimming pool – with his neighbors, no matter the color of their skin, or beliefs, or what have you.

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photo: Huffington Post

He was there to love people. All people. And that message spoke volumes.

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This country has come a long way since Fred Rogers. And not in a positive direction. The concept of a “good neighbor” has become all but irrelevant in today’s world. Neighbors have become political opponents, depending upon which yard signs ends up on their lawn come election time. Or we’ve become so scheduled and busy that we hardly even know who our neighbors are!

And children’s programming has become so sad. One of the beautiful things about Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood – is that Fred was a real man. And he brought on real people and real kids. Kids that a child viewer could see themselves in. So as the child on TV was learning and loving and practicing kindness, the child viewer could personally relate, and felt personally invested in the lesson.

Nowadays, everything is animated. So yes, the kids are still getting the “lessons” or “morals” of the story — if there is one — but it’s not as personal to them, because it’s through the eyes of a talking fish, or a talking animal, or a cartoon of a child with wildly disproportionate body parts.

And the “live action” shows that are available for kids nowadays are frankly garbage! The Disney Channel has completely given up on decency, in my opinion. Now, the kids are all snarky as all get out. They’re mischievous, catty, and most storylines revolve around “duping” their parents, who are portrayed as dopey — and frankly idiotic — buffoons. Not to mention the overly sexualized and suggestive clothing they have the little girls dressed up in.

It honestly is so sad. Just take a look at young kids and how they speak to one another and to their parents, and you’ll see the results of such irresponsible programming. We’ve created a bully culture — in person and, perhaps more detrimentally, online.

The world needs more Mister Rogers.

There was this beautiful moment in the documentary that was an interview with a young Fred Rogers — probably in his early forties. And he said,

“The greatest thing we can do is teach people that they are loved and capable of loving.” 

What truth in that.

What happens when we approach people from a state of love? What happens when we choose to live our lives in a way that welcomes all people, and choose to look for the good in everyone we meet? What happens when we look for common ground that brings us together and builds bridges?

What happens when we ask, “Would you be my neighbor?”

One of his most iconic scenes was when he was having a conversation with a little boy with spina bifida. Fred was talking to the little boy in his wheel chair, and just showing him so much kindness and love. And this little boy was just lighting up. He felt seen. He felt known. He felt loved and valued. It brought me to tears. Because isn’t that what we’re all looking for?

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Photo: TodayShow

Fred taught us – through the simplest of examples – to see people the way Jesus sees us: with dignity and value. Fred was loving his neighbors precisely the way Jesus instructed.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is so much to learn from Fred, the good neighbor.

And it makes me wonder, what would Fred say about the state of the world today? What would he say about social media, and the political division in our country, and the rampant culture of use and abuse, as evident in the #MeToo, #TimesUp, Tinder hookup era in which we live?

Kindness. He’d answer with kindness. He’d challenge us to consider: How can we act and speak in a way that communicates to every person that crosses our path, that he or she is loved and capable of loving? 

I started this blog to create community — a community of hope and love that encourages and builds one another up as we journey through adversity and through life. That is my prayer every night as I pray for each and every one of you.

So hopefully, when you visit here, you can say, in the words of Mister Rogers:

It’s such a good feeling.
A very good feeling.
The feeling you know that we’re friends. 

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182 thoughts on “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

  1. I got to see Won’t You Be My Neighbor? in the theater over the summer and it might just be the best movie I’ve seen this year. I don’t say that lightly. I see a LOT of movies. I took my mom to see it and I know I was near tears several times. I remember walking out saying, what if there were a few more Fred Rogers’ in the world? Just how transformed would our world be if there were more men and women who used their platforms to inspire people to just love each other. If there was ever anyone who blatantly lived out the message of the gospel, it was Mr. Rogers.

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  4. First I want to tell you that your photo of you and your mother is beautiful. The second thing is that I haven’t been visiting as many sites as before because I have been busy and I really regret not visiting your site for awhile, you always have such wise things to say. I watched that documentary about a month ago and I teared up because we lost a great soul with Mr. Rodgers. We could really use him now and you are right about Disney and their television shows. They do make the parents seem like fools to me. The world seems like it has gone a little insane and also I have noticed that a lot of television shows and movies portray Christians as being the bad guys. It is horrible how they make Christians look in the movies. I miss Mr. Rodgers and his words of kindness and wisdom but I watched enough of his shows growing up in the 70’s to know what he would want me to do and that is to pass out the kindness he taught me through that television set…so tag we are it now. In my kitchen there is a little chalk board and the quote for this year is that “No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted” and I know Mr. Rodgers would have agreed. Thank you for the great post. Have a great weekend.

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  5. Awesome post! I could definitely feel the love and the kindness this Fred Rogers exudes through your post. The world does lack compassion and we all seem to live for self. We have forgotten what it means to love our neighbor. I live in NYC and I can tell you, in this city, it is very evident “neighborly love” is so absent amongst most persons.
    However with young women, like you out there, whose aim it is to inspire and remind us of the importance of loving one another and showing kindness to each other, the love will find back its way into the hearts of many. Keep up the awesome content.

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    1. Hey Kristina! thank you so much for your thoughtful response. And gosh, what a kind thing to say. You’re right, we really have forgotten. And hey! I live in NYC too! It really is sad — I don’t even know my neighbors! crazy. Thanks again for your affirming words! means a lot. have an awesome Tuesday! Hugs and love xox

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    1. awww, thank you so much Emily! You’re so right — it would look like Heaven for sure!! glad you stopped by! Hugs and love xox

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  10. I was moved to tears watching this as well! And trying to write down quotes in the theater. Years ago, My daughter had a figure skating competition and skated to his tv theme song; we even had her making the sweater & tennis shoe change😉) but she performed just around the week he passed. 😢 What a gift to the world he was! We need more like him!

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    1. It was such a well done documentary. And Mr. Rogers was such a beautiful source of Christ’s light. Oh wow!!! That’s so special about your daughter. hahah Sounds like an awesome routine. And gosh, the timing. What a tribute to him. Hugs and love xox

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  11. I also wanted to say I couldn’t agree more with you about kids’ tv programming. Hearing them talk about how stupid their parents seemed, talking down to their siblings etc. One particular day, I got so fed up listening to a common theme I had heard on back to back shows. It was usually about some poor girl not having a boyfriend and how miserable she was…at 11 or 12!!! I stopped to talk with my daughter about the fact that a guy won’t make you happy, your world shouldn’t revolve around trying to get a guy and that that was waaay to young to be concerned about such things anyway…that there would be appropriate times for dating later in life. Made me so mad that young girls were being fed this junk!

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    1. That is seriously so true. And you’re a great mom, you know that? Your daughter is really lucky to have you. You’re absolutely right!!

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  12. Making everyone you meet feel lovable and worthy is such a great mission. And you’re right that many times we’re just too busy to even realize we might have neighbors who need us. I’m not from USA and I didn’t know Mr. Rogers, but if he taught you the lessons you’ve shared in this post, he must really have been an amazing man.

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    1. Oh gosh, thank you Paola. I’m sure you can find his episodes on YouTube! And actually, I linked a source to watch and stream his episodes! He really was such a powerful source of Christ’s love. Definitely worth a watch! Even for just a 20 minute episode 🙂 thanks for stopping by! big hugs xo

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  16. I would gladly be your neighbor. Really. You would make a great neighbor. As for Mister Rogers, I have not seen the movie, but I remember him as being a man as you mentioned. Being kind to everyone even if that person was different. He had a great heart… like BBB. There is a monument to him in Pittsburgh. Anyway, glad you had fun with your mom. Meanwhile, your mom was enjoying her ‘pumpkin’. Well, thank you for being an exceptional neighbor… ‘pumpkin’.

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  18. I agree totally. I love that you brought up Disney Channel, because it’s modes of media like that, that are degrading in quality. And to the young children who are the next generations! It’s very sad. We can only be examples ourselves by modeling behavior from people like Mister Rogers. 🙂

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  21. Absolutely. In a world where every hero has fallen down under scrutiny, the look Fred Rogers’ humanity made him even more remarkable. He wasn’t a hero, he was a good neighbor and kind man – and how sad that those things are remarkable. Best film I saw all year, it’s inspiring in a genuine way.

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  22. This is sooooo sweet! Thank You for this post. I’ll watch that documentary. Mr. Rogers is my era and I LOVED him so very much. Looked forward to watching his show and still know all the words to his theme songs; opening and closing. 😄 He gifted and gifted and gifted all of us kids…

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  24. Oh my this is all so true. My husband and I where talking about him the other night and was saying how this world is getting scarier by the minute and we need Mister Rogers. Also I believe we need a foundation more with God as well.

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  25. I’ve finally surrendered to God’s calling, and w/ him teaching me to transform into the man and neighbor he asking from me—one of his main lessons has been to answer this world w/ love.

    “Do not be overcome by evil,
    but overcome evil w/ good.” Rom. 12/21 NKJV

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