Mister Roger’s Good Idea: Kindness
It is difficult to prove that something is a good idea, but as it turns out, science has been confirming that beloved children’s show host Fred Rogers’ ideas we not just good…indeed, they were great ideas.
Fred Rogers believed in human kindness and all of its’ cousins: appreciation, affection, supportiveness, acceptance… As a young man he was a preacher, but in the 1960’s moved to writing and hosting Mister Roger’s Neighborhood on PBS. “I went into television because I hated it so,” he said. He believed the programming for children was thoughtless, and he wanted to use this new technology to nurture young people.
Fred Rogers passed away in 2003, and since his death, new science has confirmed that his recommended approach to being human has positive physical and emotional outcomes. A recent article in YES! magazine outlines the science behind kindness, resulting in beneficial shifts in our endorphin, cortisol, and oxycontin levels, as well as increased longevity.
Mr. Rogers knew little of the blood tests and CT scans that would prove him so powerfully wise, but he instinctively understood the importance of the health of the spirit that results from focusing on others. He understood that children have the built in capacity to nurture themselves and others and that that fragile and precious human capacity is ready-made medicine for the body and soul.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor, a documentary about Fred Rogers’ life and legacy is in currently playing theaters across the United States.
