Back in the 1980’s, our family room looked more like a pre-school, with books and activities and toys to meet the needs of a family with five growing children.
Having time to play together, learn, enjoy and feel loved and welcomed was a big part of our way of raising children. Our house had only one TV, on purpose, and apart from Dad’s weekly escape with Star Trek, it served primarily to inform and entertain the kids – hopefully both at the same time.
You can probably guess that Mr. Rogers was a big part of our children’s TV fare growing up. His positivity and authenticity were an inspiration, as well as the way he dealt with difficult topics in a way that reassured his young audience. One of his quotes that touched me then, and now, was about fear. He said
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
There seems to be a lot of scary news right now. I say “seems” because we have so many businesses whose vested interest is to fill video channels with 24 hour per day continuous streams of news. News that is sensational enough to have you watch their channel (and commercials) and not someone else’s channel.
Gone are the days where a morning began with 10 minutes looking over a paper and getting an idea of what was happening in the world. The content needed to be varied enough to catch your interest and concise enough to be digested before your coffee (or tea) got cold. No infinite bandwidths here. 30 pages. 10 minutes.
Not so any more. We have created and fostered generations addicted to a constant stream of data and information. And yet as different as the world is today than 40 years ago, Fred Rogers’ words still ring true, still bring solace.
Fred Rogers went on to write …..
“To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world”
If Fred was alive today and journeying through this pandemic with us, I am sure he would say exactly the same thing.
If you find yourself spending perhaps too much time tracking the news and taking in content that increases your anxieties (ie: see scary stuff), perhaps instead, look for the helpers. Listen to their stories. Be inspired by ordinary people helping others who are in need.
And maybe, just maybe, be inspired to be a helper too …….