Is Your Neighbor Worth Loving?

Fred McFeely Rogers was an inspiring presence on public television in Pittsburgh, PA, for over 30 years. At the center of his message to children was this: you are valuable—each and every one of you—regardless of your age or height, your race or religion, your abilities or challenges.

Fred wore sweaters, sneakers, and patience—a cloak of kindness. Like all of us, Fred the adult was deeply influenced by his childhood experiences. His early years were often solitary. He was bullied and found solace in his own world of make-believe, which he later recreated for millions of children as Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the TV show.

An ordained Presbyterian minister, Fred was guided by his faith to meet everyone without judgment. We can all learn from the messages he shared in both his real and imagined worlds when he sang:

“It’s you I like; it’s not the things you wear,
it’s not the way you do your hair,
but it’s you I like.

The way you are right now,
the way down deep inside you,
not the things that hide you,
not your toys—they’re just beside you.

But it’s you I like, every part of you—
your skin, your eyes, your feelings—whether old or new.

I hope you will remember, even when you’re feeling blue,
that it’s you I like.
It’s you, yourself.
It’s you. It’s you I like.”

Fred’s messages were universal and timeless. We need them today more than ever.

He believed that we are all related in love—a philosophy that lies at the heart of every faith. He celebrated teachers and parents who were open to the diverse materials and messages of life, because that approach helps children understand that there are countless ways of expressing both how you feel and who you are—ways that don’t harm anyone else.

“I think the greatest gift that anybody has to give another is the gift of your honest self. In fact, it is the only unique gift that we have to give in life.”

We live in a time of great division. Too often, we neither see nor hear one another. Fred was unafraid to help children and adults understand complicated emotions. When asked about the ways we express hatred toward each other, he said:

“We don’t spring from nothing. We spring from generations of somethings.”
“Hate doesn’t come overnight—and neither does love.”

So how do we heal, how do we choose another path? Fred’s advice was clear, even for a child:

“Look within, and if you see anything that makes you feel that you don’t like somebody you haven’t even gotten to know—well, get to know them first. Because at the core of everyone is something wonderful.”

Fred’s philosophy of life put the responsibility on each of us to make our world better, to keep hope and idealism alive. Ultimately, it is the treasures deep within each of us that are most valuable—truth, kindness, integrity—not the toys and trappings of life.

“I’m convinced that appreciation is about as close as we get to the eternal.
The divine looks for everything that is good in us—everything that is healthy and creative and wise and kind.
And when we are able to look with those eyes on our neighbor, then we are involved in the work of the eternal.”

Fred had a practice of asking people to take a minute of silence to think of those who helped them become who they are.

Why not take that minute right now?

Mister Rogers, Is Your Neighbor Worth Loving?

Featuring: Lynn Johnson

Locations

View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza

1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201

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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.

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