Authentic - Fred Rogers

I can stop when I want to

Can stop when I wish.

I can stop, stop, stop any time.

And what a good feeling to feel like this!

And know that the feeling is really mine.

Know that there’s something deep inside

That helps us become what we can.

For a girl can be someday a lady

And a boy can be someday a man.

~ Fred Rogers

Discovering who we truly are and having the courage to be ourselves

Do you remember someone - maybe a parent, telling you to “Just be yourself, and they will like you for who you are.” Childhood is a drama, full of curiosity, joy, adventure, and sometimes, feelings that are confusing, ugly, and scary.

Fred Rogers recognized that television was a potentially powerful tool for early childhood development and education. “I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nuture to those who would watch and listen.” He said.

 ‘Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood’ was created by Fred Rogers in 1965 to support the development of children as community members of the future, and to help them realize their potential - children are fundamentally good and deserving of love just by ‘being themselves’.

Rogers’ modeled the natural curiosity of children by asking questions of his guests on the program as if from a child’s perspective. In this way, he was honoring and validating the way children see the world.

Due to the program’s supportive environment, he could present complex and controversial issues such as divorce, war and racial conflict, even death, with an honesty and integrity not seen in other television programs. 

Principles that Fred Rogers lived by:  be yourself, engage in the world with understanding love, and remember that we are all neighbors.  Among these principles, perhaps Rogers’ greatest influence was his consistent willingness to be his authentic self.

In his book, “Sharing the Rock”, Bill Grace talks about Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood) during the Senate subcommittee on communications hearing, 1969.

“When leaders dare to be their authentic selves, they claim personal power.  Fred Rogers demonstrated the power of authenticity in the context of leadership not only on his television show, but in all contexts, including his testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications in 1969.”  (Grace, 2011)

Fred Rogers testifies at the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications, 1969

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The Uncertainty of Our Times

We are living in difficult times today with a coronavirus pandemic, political division the likes of which we have only experienced a few times in our history as a nation, and systemic racism that have roots in history hundreds of years in the making. We are profoundly saddened by these recent events - the nation is mourning.

This is a time for reevaluating our personal values and ethics as we uncover our authentic selves. Gloria Burgess’s “Dare to Wear your Soul on the Outside” addresses seven sacred promises for legacy living to “…plant tomorrow’s trees under which you may never sit.” Integrity is one of the seven sacred promises that involves one’s authentic self:

“Integrity offers the power of honoring your values and wholeness which means knowing who you are and being true to yourself. When you walk with integrity, you bring the beauty and bounty of your own true voice with you wherever you go. By fully honoring your own values and wholeness, you will be able to honor the values and wholeness of others. In this sense, the Sacred Promise of integrity affirms your kinship, shared humanity, and interconnectedness with others across generations, cultures, and other divides, compelling you to transcend differences and to honor, love, engage with, and serve others as yourself. Integrity also allows you to recognize the interrelationship of all beings and all things, and that we are part of one another, nature, and our ecosystem.” (Burgess, 2008)

The world is currently undergoing a profound change as the pendulum of social justice swings back and forth looking for equilibrium. It is up to each and every one of us to find our authentic voice, live with integrity and love for one another, and leave the world a better place for our children. Fred Rogers summed it up in a note he kept in his wallet: “Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.”