Last weekend I finally got to see a documentary that I had been waiting to come to my city, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? For those not in the know (and shame on you for not being!), it is a doc about the iconic and award winning show Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. But it is so much more than a litany of behind the scenes stories. It is about a phenomenal individual who changed numerous lives through a show that, by modern standards, did not make good TV. 

The movie made me pause and consider a few things. How would a show like this fare today? What would Fred Rogers think of today’s divisive climate? How would he respond to the toxicity of today’s American culture? But it also made me about my role in either improving or damaging relations. Personally, I think the Mr. Rogers would look at social media and turn it right off because it is a breeding ground for the worst that society has to offer. I also think that he would ask us all to be more patient with each other, too.

Through the movie you see that Fred Rogers was not a perfect man, but he grew to move away from being judgmental to tolerance. I say tolerance, but it is closer to true love for his neighbors. I can’t help but believe that if a Presbyterian minister like Fred Rogers can grow to understand that people of differing lifestyles and beliefs are important, we certainly can too. After watching that movie and drying my eyes more than once, I wished that the show would appear everywhere to inundate us with what decent behavior looks like. We need that right now.