This is the second of my Father’s Day blogs and it is inspired by a movie that I just saw on one of America’s most famous Father figures – Fred Rogers. Some may not think of Mr. Rogers as a father figure. He was not the image of the prototypical human father. He was not strong, dominating or particularly stern. He did however have characteristics of our heavenly Father. An image of compassion who suffered the little children to come to him. He sought to protect children from the vagaries and violence of the modern-day world through the explanation of the simple truths of compassion and right living.
One of the most compelling parts of the documentary was the explanation of Mr. Rogers’ daily ritual to control his weight. From his days in the seminary to his last days on earth, Mr. Rogers sought to maintain a weight of 143 lbs. Why do you ask? There were three main reasons and each of them is compelling.
- Weight control – Mr. Rogers was pudgy as an adolescent boy. Although the documentary does not cover this in detail, I suspect that he was bullied over his weight (more on the impact of that later). Because of his concern to be happy and healthy, Mr. Rogers strove to maintain his weight at 143 lbs. daily. He had a daily ritual where he swam 1 mile in a pool and then weighed himself to make sure that he was at 143 lbs. I am no Mr. Rogers but I have a similar construct related to weight maintenance. Each week before my Weight Watcher’s weigh-in, I strive to weigh 185 lbs. or less. This is within the weight allowance to maintain Lifetime status but there is a more important reason for this target (as there is for Mr. Roger’s target which I will explain later). I was in the class of 85 for West Point and our class motto is “For Excellence We Strive, 85!”. The reason I believe in this moto is explained in this blog Life Lessons – Strive for Excellence Always!. The reason for Mr. Rogers weight goal is even more inspirational!
2. Leadership – It is hard to contemplate that a meek and mild man such as Mr. Rogers as the ultimate leader (especially in the current climate of shouting on both sides of the political spectrum) but he was! In my mind, he was the penultimate leader. He came of age when TV was reshaping the culture of America. He was dismayed with the children TV shows of the day that were nothing more than people shoving pies in each other faces and frantic cartoons of action and violence (unfortunately it is only worse now). He made it his mission to slow down the pace of TV and to talk to children in simple truths about love, compassion and being a good neighbor. He did this without puppets not pageantry.
After seeing the documentary, I got additional perspective on Daniel the Tiger. I always knew that Daniel the Tiger was an extension of Mr. Rogers but the documentary showing Mr. Rogers as a kid cemented it. Just knowing the period and seeing Mr. Rogers as a pudgy, sensitive, rich kid indicated to me that Daniel tiger and Mr. Rogers were one in the same. He must have withstood a lot of bullying and poured out the lessons of dealing with that pain in the words of Daniel the Tiger. You can viscerally feel the inspiration and the heart of Mr. Rogers every time Daniel the Tiger explains his experience and fears. The attached link on the death of Bobby Kennedy is one example Mr. Rogers on Assassination. Fred Rogers led the fight to protect our children and his message resonates now more than ever. As Jesus proclaims in Mathew 18:3: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”, Mr. Rogers sought to protect to the hearts of little children and those of adults to seek a higher calling.
3. Love – In the end, Mr. Rogers’ weight and message is one of a Father’s Love. His reason for maintaining a weight of 143 was due to the number of letters in a three-word phrase: I (1) Love (4) You (3). Mr. Rogers’ message to both himself and to the rest of the world is I Love You just the way you are! It does not matter if you are a different race, creed or color. It does not matter if you have a disability (see clip Mr. Rogers on Disability). You are a creature of God with a purpose and passion to better the lives of you and your neighbors. In this time of discord and constant bickering, we should strive to be good neighbors like Mr. Rogers. To see the good and with love, overcome the differences. And like Mr. Rogers like one another for their unique characteristics. I will close with a song by Fred Rogers and Josie Carey on the Mr. Rogers show and this clip concerning 9/11 Mr. Rogers 9-11:
I like you as you are
Exactly and precisely
I think you turned out nicely
And I like you as you are
I like you as you are
Without a doubt or question
Or even a suggestion
Cause I like you as you are
I like your disposition
Your facial composition
And with your kind permission
I’ll shout it to a star
I like you as you are
I wouldn’t want to change you
Or even rearrange you
Not by far
I like you
I-L-I-K-E-Y-O-U
I like you, yes I do
I like you, Y-O-U
I like you, like you as you are
Weight Loss and Leadership 