Heroes, Part 2

Ten years ago last month one of my childhood heroes died.  I haven’t seen any articles in the press about it which I guess is rather consistent with today’s media.  You would, however, think that this particular person would have at least had created some type of “In Memory of” piece about him based on the number of lives he touched.  The man I’m referring to is Mister Rogers.


Fred McFeely Rogers was one of those special individuals that had something magical about him.  He devoted his entire life to helping children understand the world and that each one of those children had worth.  I’m pretty sure that the latest television offerings to our children do not help to create that same feeling of self-worth that Mister Rogers did.

Part of the irony of today’s society is that everyone is looking for that next “flash in the pan” type of experience.  If the item is shiny, flashy or loud people pay attention.  If not…  Well, you get the picture.  Mister Rogers was none of the above.  He was a kind and gentle individual both on and off screen.  His goal was to better children and, as such, better society.  He was one of the few that understood the decay that modern society would cause to individuals and families and he did his best to combat it.

I will always wonder what our society would be like if more individuals had the courage to stand up and try to make a difference in a positive way in other people's lives.  Fred Rogers tried and that's an example that we could all try and follow.