10.42 PM
Prins Hendrikkade, Amsterdam
For those, as I, who had grown up with the wisdom words and the lessons of compassion from Mr. Rogers. A man whom I, and other millions of children now adults, found had been a good teacher in life and sincerity. Should it not be for this sudden memory revival would I remember, in perfect detail according to my (then) memory of a 4 year old:Every show he would enter his home, take off his jacket and shoes, and put on a sweater and comfortable footwear while offering a welcome for his viewers. It was as if "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" was deliberately simple and straightforward, marked by Rogers' purposeful actions and soothing voice.
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor...
"We have to remember to whom the airwaves belong, and we must put as great an emphasis on the nurturing of the human personality as we can," he (Fred Rogers) said. "I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen," Fred Rogers once said (CNN.com).
My wonderful half Dutch half Indonesian professor said to me on my (tentative) thesis (Children, Media and Globalization: the Empowerment of Children through Transnational Programmes in Indonesia), "To some extent, all theses and writings are an autobiography."
It is true. It is beginning to make sense why I have been consistent in the field of children and the media (especially television). Perhaps it is my child-self wanting to do something about 'it'. Of getting the chance to learn many-a-beautiful things through Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street in the mere age of 4 (or maybe even younger). Wanting these little people I accidentally meet to receive the fortune I had during my childhood. Of friendly faces, soothing voices, someone to teach you, in a non-pedantic way, the ways of life, love, loss and death. To learn how to make sense of things around us in the simplest, sincerest ways possible. Everyone is our parent and we are parents to more children than we ever could imagine.
"Children are going to mimic what the adults in their lives do," Rogers said. "And so the kind of ways that you have of expressing your anger will probably be the kinds of ways that your children will express theirs. And that's not all bad. But I do think that it's very important for us to be up front with our children and give them words for their feelings." (NPR.org)
I am in awe, how a man not physically present in my life can be such an inspiration in a subconscious manner. It can be because of two things: 1) The mind-boggling effect of television, or 2) The mind-boggling effect of the gesture of kindness and sincerity.
"I do think that young children can spot a phony a mile away," Rogers once said. (CNN.com)
When seeing his smile, I can hear his voice singing and I can feel me being a child again. Remembering the world in an honest way. May his kindness trigger an endless cycle...
Useful Links:
http://pbskids.org/rogers/all_ages/remember.htm
http://pbskids.org/rogers/
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