与我为邻

What do you do with the mad you feel when you feel so mad you could bite, when the whole wide world seems oh so wrong and nothing you do seems very right? It's great to be able to stop, when you've planned a thing that's wrong, and be able to do something else instead and think this song. I can stop when I want to, can stop when I wish, can stop, stop, stop anytime. Know that there's something deep inside that helps us become what we can.

转载自境界，原文

2018年，一部由汤姆·汉克斯出演的纪录片《与我为邻》（Won't You Be My Neighbor？）在烂番茄网获得99%的好评。该片的主人公弗雷德·罗杰斯（Fred Rogers）是美国最著名、影响最深远的儿童电视节目《罗杰斯先生的邻居》（Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood）的制作人及主持人。他从1968年开始主持的《罗杰斯先生的邻居》，影响了四十年间一代代的美国儿童。

但很少有人知道，这位被称为“儿童电视之父”的传奇人物还是一位牧师。在1950年代那个电视还很稀奇、属于不折不扣的新媒体的时候，他所在教会的领袖们不同意他进入电视这个新行业，几乎扼杀了这个日后覆盖了10%的美国家庭、每天有500万到1000万儿童观众的节目。

孩子们想要和这个安静又有点驼背的中年男人呆在一起。罗杰斯用他那个时代的尖端技术——电视，向孩子们传达了最深刻的价值观——怜悯、理解、饶恕、接纳。2017年这部886集的超长剧集重新播出仅几天，就吸引了超过100万的点击量。

当罗杰斯遇到作为奢侈品的电视

罗杰斯于1928年3月20日出生于宾夕法尼亚州拉特罗布（Latrobe）。母亲南希·罗杰斯（Nancy McFeely Rogers）和父亲詹姆斯·罗杰斯（James Hillis Rogers）都是乐于助人的慈善家，他们的基督信仰和慷慨捐赠对罗杰斯的成长带来很大影响。

罗杰斯的一位儿时好友埃德·肖沃尔特（Ed Yogi Showalter）记得，即使是在上小学时，罗杰斯就受到了父母的影响。“罗杰斯向他的父母报告说，他班上的孩子正在讨论一个小同学的父母甚至买不起鞋子给他穿。没过几天，这个男孩就穿着崭新的高帮鞋出现在学校。”罗杰斯和这些家庭的孩子们一起上学，他为父母的善行感到自豪。

他曾说过：“生活中真正的问题不是我们拥有多少祝福，而是我们用我们的祝福做了什么。有些人拥有许多祝福并把它们珍藏起来，有些人拥有的很少，却把所有的都给了别人。”

他们一家聚会的拉特罗布长老会教堂正是母亲南希奉献建造的。作为社区忠实的守护者，罗杰斯的父母每周都会写一些支票帮助需要的人。母亲南希还联合几个拉特罗布教会包括长老会、路德会、卫理公会和圣公会，组成了一个名为“鱼”（Fish）的牧师和志愿者网络。

南希从牧师、其他志愿者，甚至从罗杰斯在学校的经历中收集情报。当她得知有一个家庭需要帮助时，她会把这个信息带给“Fish”，这个组织会制定计划来帮助他们。如果需要钱，南希可以动用自己的资金购买衣服、食物或医疗。

罗杰斯得过严重的儿童哮喘，这使父母对他很有保护意识，无微不至地照顾体弱多病的罗杰斯。母亲注意到他在三四岁时对音乐表现出强烈的兴趣，最终，5岁的罗杰斯学起了钢琴。

1946年，二战刚结束，罗杰斯从高中毕业。他对摆在面前的各种可能性感到兴奋，最终选择了达特茅斯学院（Dartmouth College）。父亲希望他毕业能回到家乡跟他一起做生意。但他告诉家人，他打算在大学毕业后成为长老会牧师。他计划去附近备受推崇的西方神学院就读（Western Theological Seminary，后来被称为匹兹堡神学院）。

但在大四复活节假期，罗杰斯遇到了一件即将改变世界以及他自己生活的新事物——电视。1951年，电视还是一种新奇的奢侈品，几乎没有美国家庭拥有电视，更不要说有谁能预料到它将以如此激烈的方式改变文化。

当时，家里买了一台最早的拉特罗布牌电视机。罗杰斯选择收听儿童节目，因为他对儿童和教育有着浓厚的兴趣。电视令他既震惊又着迷，他近乎本能地迅速把握到这种媒介所蕴含的非凡力量，特别是理解它在教育方面的作用，尽管当时其他人只是把它当作消遣。

险些被扼杀的新媒体事工

尽管罗杰斯很有远见地看到这种新媒体的潜力，但他也对电视节目中粗俗低级的内容感到厌恶。“我想，这可能是一个很好的教育工具，为什么不加以善用呢？所以我对父母说，我想我不会马上去神学院，我想也许我要进入电视行业……我们看看能做些什么。”假期结束回到大学，罗杰斯向朋友透露，他想为孩子们做一些有教育意义且轻松愉快的事情。

由于罗杰斯改变了计划，他和父亲之间出现了一些紧张时刻。父亲原本已经接受他读神学院，现在则对罗杰斯的新想法感到失望。但他们还是尊重他，于是罗杰斯如愿以偿进了电视行业。

当他在媒体的事业蒸蒸日上时，罗杰斯并没有忘记读神学的心志。他边工作，边在神学院读书。1963年，罗杰斯从神学院毕业，获得了硕士学位。

他觉得他已经准备好把他的牧师服事搬到电视上，为孩子们服务。但令他吃惊的是，匹兹堡长老会的长老们并不同意。尽管罗杰斯有服事儿童主日学的经验，但长老们觉得他应该遵循传统的路径：去教会做牧师。当地的长老会有权决定类似的任命，罗杰斯被困住了。

根据罗杰斯的好友比尔·巴克牧师（Bill Barker）的说法，匹兹堡长老会的领袖非常保守，缺乏想象力，看不到罗杰斯的想法的潜力。

最终比尔·巴克牧师应邀参加了一次长老会议，他动情地请求教会领袖同意罗杰斯为儿童布道。他说：“这里有一个人，他自豪地站在电视摄像机前讲道。成千上万的孩子们聚集在一起，他的会众是从两三岁到七八岁的小孩子。这是一个真正被上帝呼召的人，就像在座的各位一样。”

长老们心软了，勉强同意了罗杰斯试图通过电视建立自己长老会事工的异象。当时，年轻的牧师从美国任何一个地方的长老会出来，都是一个很不寻常的计划。罗杰斯相信，他能以一种全新的职业生活方式，把电视、教育、事工、木偶、戏剧、音乐等等结合在一起，创作出他曾经想象过的最重要的作品。

他只是需要一个电视节目。作为长老会牧师，他把当时这种全新的媒介巧妙融合了基督教价值观，为人们营造了一个让人安心、充满吸引力的社区。罗杰斯通过他温和、缓慢但富有质感的节目教会了几代美国父母：人生最初几年是多么重要，在那个年龄段里社交和情绪学习比认知学习更重要。数以百万计的观众长大成人，坚持这些价值观，对罗杰斯所传达的信息保持忠诚。

我进入电视业是因为我很讨厌它

罗杰斯于1953年加入全国第一家社区赞助的教育类电视台——匹兹堡WQED，并于1966年开始了《罗杰斯先生的邻居》的制作。

罗杰斯始终坚信，要在屏幕上展示现实，即使是残酷的现实。1970年，当他制作一部关于死亡的完整剧集时，罗杰斯把镜头对准了片场的水族馆，他邀请观众一起和他喂鱼。接下来镜头聚焦在水族馆底部的一条死鱼。

“哦，那下面是什么？他望着镜头里电视机前的孩子们问道。你看见一条死鱼了吗？一条死鱼可能是一条完全没有呼吸或不能游泳的鱼。”这个画面使孩子们非常震惊，但罗杰斯很冷静地开始对死亡、失去、痛苦和生命意义的探索。

他拿起一张小网，小心翼翼地把手伸进水族馆，把死鱼捞出来。他告诉孩子们，他读到过一个故事：有时，如果你把一条死鱼放进加了大量盐的水中，鱼会被震醒。他把鱼放在防水袋里，从架子上拿了一罐盐，撒在袋子里。什么都没有发生。他轻声说：“我想盐帮不了我们。”他拿起一条纸巾，把尸体放在纸做的小棺材里。然后取出一把泥铲，小心翼翼在一棵常青树旁挖了一个小洞，他把尸体放在这个特别的坟墓里，拍了拍土。

罗杰斯没有告诉悲伤的孩子们，一切都会好起来的。没有这样简单的安慰，相反，他分享了自己对死亡和失去的感受，以及在整个节目中反复重申的真理：生命确实在继续，不要去回避这些看似悲惨的事情。

他承认：“我进入电视行业是因为我非常讨厌它”。但1963年获得神学学位后，他意识到，媒体将是培养那些愿意观看和聆听的人的绝佳工具。罗杰斯的节目有力地提醒我们，基督徒有潜力改变他们的行业，而不是简单顺应它。

正如乔伊斯·米尔曼（Joyce Millman）在1999年、《罗杰斯先生的邻居》开播30周年的时候所写的，罗杰斯一直抵制商业推广、时尚潮流和技术闪光……儿童的基本需求不会随着时间而改变。这种对超越时间的事物的关注帮助这个节目变得具有永恒意义。

在《福音联盟》的资深编辑布雷特·麦奎恩（Brett McCracken）眼中，作为牧师，罗杰斯把儿童视为自己的使命目标，把电视视为自己的工具。虽然赞助节目的政府不让罗杰斯公开宣讲宗教信息，但罗杰斯确实呈现了许多基督教价值观。

在纪录片《与我为邻》中，观众被一个个场景所感动，无论是与残疾男孩一起唱歌，还是在一个种族分裂的社会里为黑人洗脚，导演传达出罗杰斯的努力——他使用电视这一当时的新媒体手段，展现了邻里之间的友好关系，像基督一样爱被忽视的人。罗杰斯用温柔而专注的聆听方式，塑造了一种尊贵、被爱的存在感。如今在这个争夺注意力的分心的时代，这种对存在感的重视几乎已成为一种失落的艺术。

麦奎恩说：“在今天这个支离破碎的世界里，媒体如何能被用来搭建桥梁而不是围墙呢？这是纪录片《与我为邻》适时提出的问题之一。我们也许永远不会有另一个罗杰斯先生，但我们不应该像他那样利用媒体来陶冶、美化和塑造美德吗？想要用福音影响文化的基督徒应该看看这部纪录片，并注意罗杰斯的做法。他清楚地表达了自己的意思，但却没有说教。”

我们所能做的最伟大的事

对罗杰斯来说，每个孩子都需要特别的关注，因为每个孩子都需要确信自己是被爱的人。这是一种深刻的信念，从罗杰斯的童年时代起就一直激励着他。在《罗杰斯先生的邻居》的每一集开头，他都会唱道：“你愿意做我的邻居吗？”

他是认真的。罗杰斯拥有一种独特而强大的能力，能够给人以安慰，包括许多童年早已逝去的人。他帮助一代又一代的孩子了解他们不断发展的世界，以及他们在其中的潜力。

对于罗杰斯在电视媒体中所展现出来的真正的勇敢，1981年那一集节目有最清晰地体现。那一集讲述的是10岁的男孩、四肢瘫痪、智商极高的杰夫·厄兰格（Jeff Erlanger），他从四岁起就坐在轮椅上。镜头聚焦在罗杰斯身上，他问杰夫轮椅的机械装置，语气和他问杰夫最喜欢的冰淇淋口味时没有什么不同。

当杰夫以一种平静、慎重的方式详细描述他的身体状况时，罗杰斯全神贯注地听着，称赞杰夫用一种可能对其他人有所帮助的方式谈论此事的能力：你的父母一定为你感到骄傲。罗杰斯在片中说：爱是一切的根源。

“没有什么能取代无条件的爱对孩子生活的影响……孩子喜欢归属，他们渴望归属。”罗杰斯并不盲目乐观。他认为孩子们不应该对生活中的困难视而不见，从暗杀到恐怖主义再到种族主义，但他想给孩子们一些工具，让他们知道他们被爱着。

1968年，肯尼迪遇刺，当巨大的恐惧蔓延全国，成人们陷入恐惧悲伤中自顾不暇时，罗杰斯更关注的是他最爱的孩子们。“我一直担忧着公共媒体上展示给孩子们的暴力画面，我请求你们保护我们的孩子，我担心这些孩子们更难承受。我们可以带着孩子们去野餐，去河边走走，或者至少给他们一个拥抱。”

纪录片中提到，罗杰斯的神学思想是“爱你的邻舍，如同爱自己”。他把每次与人的交流，当作是他在做的最深刻的心灵交流。“我认为每个人都渴望被爱，渴望得知他或她是讨人爱的，因此我们所能做的最伟大的事，就是帮助别人知道他们被爱也有爱的能力。”

An ordained minister in Pittsburgh, Mr. Rogers (1928-2003) is the show-runner and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, a children’s program of PBS, ran from 1968 to 2001. What singularly distinguishes Mr. Rogers from his coevals is his affable persona (which is almost too good-natured to invite skepticism that it is just a front in front of the camera) and his far-reaching, forward-looking philosophy that “every child is inherently special” and he in earnest, “loves each and every kid in the way they are”. And Neville’s quasi-cradle-to-grave documentary makes an eloquent case of lionizing Mr. Rogers, it is a hagiography, but indeed, for such a saintlike figure, the “h” word is fair and square.

Collating Rogers’ own footage (of the show, his interview and other televised occasions, predominantly the one during 1969 US Senate Subcommittee on Communications, modulated by John Pastore, his cogent testimony which secured funding for PBS at then), the usual talking heads of his family, friends and colleagues, doling out succinct comments, recollections or anecdotes, with children-friendly snippets of animation, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? comprehensively encompasses almost all the hot-button topics and accidents during Mr. Rogers’ life: consumerism, racism, warfare, homosexuality, JFK’s assassination, The Challenger disaster, among others.

By conventional estimation, those aforementioned issues are simply not apposite for the show’s key demo (roughly toddler to preteen), but Mr. Rogers knows better and in the movie’s very first scene, he frankly muses that a young child needs certain modulations to prepare them for the real world, thus he becomes their modulator, inculcating cracker-barrel nuggets through his show, the Neighborhood of Making-Believe and his trademark puppetry, without dumbing down their nuts and bolts of. On that aspect, an affable Mr. Rogers is an indomitable force, and his endeavor’s vast beneficence is validated by the massive popularity he has amassed spanning over three decades.

Of course, one of the major curiosities lies in Mr. Rogers’ almost inconceivable all-around decency as a human being, which does not tally with our time-honored conviction that each person is a complex entity, what is Mr. Rogers’ dark side? That is a question the documentary tactfully evades, but on a second thought, if one’s dark side is rather disproportional compared to their oceanic goodness and sageness, why should anyone want to be a fault-finding rubbernecker? At the end of the day, it is Mr. Rogers’ indiscriminately wholesome christianity that gets the best of any dyed-in-the-wool cynics, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? is like its subjects, soft-spoken and well-intentioned, blissfully illuminating, whole-heartedly humble, an efficacious antidote to our troubled times.

referential entries: Neville’s 20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013, 6.1/10); Marielle Heller’s A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (2019, 7.6/10).

依稀记得之前境界公众号推送过他，昨天偶尔看了这部片子，才明白为何这个身穿毛衣脚踩乐福鞋的儒雅先生成为许多孩子童年最美好的记忆和陪伴。

看完后，又找了罗杰斯先生的一些访谈去看。下面按着关键词散记一些内容。

爱

罗杰斯先生说话有种独特的能力，真诚，平和，充满对人的尊重，理解，接纳……这一切都是从爱而来。

他的核心理念是爱，而其中一方面在于接纳：

"Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now."

爱的另一个体现在于倾听：

"Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors."

片中还提到一个有趣的细节，就是罗杰斯先生喜欢数字143。1代表我（I），4代表爱（love），3代表（you）。他经常游泳完去称重，体重143 pounds (~65kg)。他从1960s时候基本保持着这个体重。马友友很惊叹他能一直做到这一点。

我能想到的诗意解读是，他的生命都是爱的分量。

他还写创作了一首歌：

Many Ways To Say I Love You

There are many ways to say I love you There are many ways to say I care about you. Many ways, many ways, many ways to say I love you.

There's the singing way to say I love you There's the singing something someone really likes to hear, The singing way, the singing way, the singing way to say I love you.

Cleaning up a room can say I love you. Hanging up a coat before you're asked to Drawing special pictures for the holidays and Making plays.

You'll find many ways to say I love you. You'll find many ways to understand what love is. Many ways, many ways, many ways to say I love you.

Singing, cleaning, Drawing, being Understanding, Love you.

倾听与安静

罗杰斯先生善于倾听，在倾听中全神贯注，适时提问。他不仅听见说出来的话语，也在听话语背后的人。

“More and more I’ve come to understand that listening is one of the most important things we can do for one another. Whether the other be an adult or a child, our engagement in listening to who that person is can often be our greatest gift.” ~Fred Rogers

安静在罗杰斯先生看来是被现代社会被所低估的宝贵礼物。

Silence today is so rare, so undervalued, that it is an act of resistance.

他在2002年在达特茅斯学院的毕业演讲中，专门给了大家1分钟时间，去回忆一路走来帮助和关爱过他们的人（纪录片也以同样方式结尾）。他说：

I’d like to give you all an invisible gift. A gift of a silent minute to think about those who have helped you become who you are today。

尊贵与独特

罗杰斯非常看重孩童每个人的独特和宝贵。

他有首著名的歌：

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 that you'll 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

片子里很令人感动的一幕，就是罗杰斯先生和坐在轮椅上的男孩Jeff Erlanger一起唱这首歌。

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFmpfEFjdFM

工作和呼召

罗杰斯先生原计划读完神学后成为牧师，但是他后来决定选择电视行业进行侍奉。他进入电视行业，是因为觉得电视能够本能够很好的工具，却被滥用。他说：我进入电视行业，不是因为我喜欢，而是因为不喜欢。他期待能够通过做儿童教育节目来服侍孩童。

他的电视节目始于1968年，美国动荡的一年，节目终于2001年，网络时代的曙光之下。

他说，在他看来，从镜头到观众之间的空间是神圣的。因为节目必须保证包容性，他不能使用信仰的语言。但是他一切的节目内容都在传达从信仰而来的价值观。节目所有的台本和歌曲都是他用心所写，他还负责了大部分的布偶表演。

他从不粉饰这个世界，而是用孩子们能理解的语言和表达，向他们解释许多大人们逃避的话题：肯尼迪被刺、哥伦比亚号爆炸、死亡、离婚……帮助孩子们中理解这个复杂和令人困惑的世界。

他从不把收看他节目的孩子们作为商业目标以获取利益。他所作的，是帮助孩子们意识到自身的价值。他的节目布景里一边是他平淡无奇的客厅，一边是make believe小镇，却成了孩子们童年最宝贵的财富。

他的真诚和对孩子们的爱，甚至打动了参议员 （起初态度非常轻蔑），为PBS电视台获得了2千万美元的资金支持。（//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7ljRr0AA）

片中有个片段，是罗杰斯先生邀请黑人警官一起泡脚，非常自然和真诚。当时的大背景是，因为种族隔离政策，黑人不允许在公众游泳池游泳。他通过这一简单的举动，向孩子们传达什么是爱和接纳。

罗杰斯先生的独特之处，就如Brett McCracken写的影评题目所说：“他让良善显得吸引人（Mister Rogers Made Goodness Attractive） 。”

过去的经历

罗杰斯先生在访谈里说，开始工作后，有两件的事对他很有造就。一件事是刚开始在纽约的电视台工作，有些人对待他没有尊重而如同仆人。另一次，他希望询问一位明星可否和她合影，对方轻蔑的拒绝。这些事他希望尽力带着尊重对待他人。有人希望和他合影，他也从不拒绝，因为他知道那种感受。

他非常认真的对待工作、生活、他人，但是并不太把自己当回事，而是非常谦卑。

——

附：

Fred Rogers’ 2002 Commencement Address

Wow. What a privilege to be with you all. Since I’ve arrived here in Hanover, many people have greeted me by saying, “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood.”Well, indeed it is a beautiful day, but before I begin, I’d like you to know that I recognize that you, who live and work here, have had many days, particularly during these last several months, that have been far from beautiful. You’ve had a painful time, and you’ve handled it with dignity. I feel certain that the Zantop’s generous spirits inspire you. And it’s a great privilege for me to be with you all.

When I was at Dartmouth in the late 1940s, the tuition, room, and board all added up to $1,100 a year. Nobody owned a home computer, and hardly anyone had a television set. And those who did, there was a choice of three channels. I’m not sure if Jeanne Shaheen was even born yet, but very few people would have guessed that within 50 years, a woman would be governor or New Hampshire. Yes. When I was here, the first word of the alma mater was “Men. Men of Dartmouth give a rouse.”Well, now the first word is "Dear." Some things change for the better.

During my first year here, I lived right over there at 101 Middle Mass. And I had two roommates. I had a professor, over there, who did his best to scare everyone in his class, and he gave me the lowest grade that I ever had in any school anywhere. But I also had an astronomy professor, George Dimitrov, who looked for and found what was best in each of his students. When I look at the night sky, I still think of that extra special, kind man.

Dartmouth is many things to each of us, and I'm grateful to Jim and Susan Wright for all that they have done for this school. And I’m grateful to my old friend, Chick Koop, for all that he has done for all of us. And I congratulate every one of you who is being honored in any way during this Commencement weekend.

Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of that jewel. A facet of that jewel. And in the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal. We are intimately related. May we never even pretend that we are not.

Have you heard my favorite story that came from the Seattle Special Olympics? Well, for the 100-yard dash, there were nine contestants, all of them so-called physically or mentally disabled. All nine of them assembled at the starting line, and at the sound of the gun, they took off. But not long afterward, one little boy stumbled and fell, and hurt his knee and began to cry. The other eight children heard him crying. They slowed down, turned around, and ran back to him. Every one of them ran back to him. One little girl with Down Syndrome bent down and kissed the boy, and said, “This'll make it better.”The little boy got up, and he and the rest of the runners linked their arms together, and joyfully walked to the finish line. They all finished the race at the same time. And when they did, everyone in that stadium stood up, and clapped, and whistled, and cheered for a long, long time. People who were there are still telling this story with great delight. And you know why. Because deep down, we know that what matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win, too. Even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius—what a name—was the last of the great Roman philosophers, and the first of the scholastics of the Middle Ages. Fifteen hundred years ago, Boethius wrote this sentence, “O happy race of mortals, if your hearts are ruled as is the universe, by Love.”

I was once invited to sit in on a master class of six young cellists from the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra. The master teacher was Yo-Yo Ma. Now, Yo-Yo is the most other-oriented genius I’ve every known. His music comes from a very deep place within his being. And during that master class, Yo-Yo gently led those young cellists into understandings about their instruments, their music, and their selves, which some of them told me later, they’d carry with them forever.

I can still see the face of one young man who had just finished playing a movement of Brahms’Cello Sonata, when Yo-Yo said, “Nobody else can make the sound you make.”Of course, he meant that as a compliment to the young man. Nevertheless, he meant that also for everyone in the class. Nobody else can make the sound you make. Nobody else can choose to make that particular sound in that particular way.

I’m very much interested in choices, and what it is, and who it is, that enable us human beings to make the choices we make all through our lives. What choices lead to ethnic cleansing? What choices lead to healing? What choices lead to the destruction of the environment, the erosion of the Sabbath, suicide bombings, or teenagers shooting teachers. What choices encourage heroism in the midst of chaos?

I have a lot of framed things in my office, which people have given to me through the years. And on my walls are Greek, and Hebrew, and Russian, and Chinese. And beside my chair, is a French sentence from Saint-Exupery’sLittle Prince. It reads, “L’essential est invisible pour les yeux.”What is essential is invisible to the eye. Well, what is essential about you? And who are those who have helped you become the person you are? Anyone who has ever graduated from a college, anyone who has ever been able to sustain a good work, has had at least one person, and often many, who have believed in him or her. We just don’t get to be competent human beings without a lot of different investments from others.

I’d like to give you all an invisible gift. A gift of a silent minute to think about those who have helped you become who you are today. Some of them may be here right now. Some may be far away. Some, like my astronomy professor, may even be in Heaven. But wherever they are, if they’ve loved you, and encouraged you, and wanted what was best in life for you, they’re right inside your self. And I feel that you deserve quiet time, on this special occasion, to devote some thought to them. So, let’s just take a minute, in honor of those that have cared about us all along the way. One silent minute.

Whomever you’ve been thinking about, imagine how grateful they must be, that during your silent times, you remember how important they are to you. It’s not the honors and the prizes, and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It’s the knowing that we can be trusted. That we never have to fear the truth. That the bedrock of our lives, from which we make our choices, is very good stuff.

There’s a neighborhood song that is meant for the child in each of us, and I’dlike to give you the words of that song right now. “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 caps and gowns, 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 that you 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.”

And what that ultimately means, of course, is that you don't ever have to do anything sensational for people to love you. When I say it’s you I like, I’m talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see, or hear, or touch. That deep part of you, that allows you to stand for those things, without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate. Peace that rises triumphant over war. And justice that proves more powerful than greed.

So, in all that you do in all of your life, I wish you the strength and the grace to make those choices which will allow you and your neighbor to become the best of whoever you are. Congratulations to you all.

//news.dartmouth.edu/news/2018/03/revisiting-fred-rogers-2002-commencement-address

其他链接

//www.faithgateway.com/mr-rogers-quiet-revolution/#.XxUnsfj0nlw

//www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/mr-rogers-goodness-attractive/

//www.russellmoore.com/2018/03/21/mister-rogers-still-matters/

片段

Sometimes I Wonder If I'm A Mistake (with duet) - Fred Rogers

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dACAme8FFw

“From the time you were very little, you’ve had people who have smiled you into smiling, people who have talked you into talking, sung you into singing, loved you into loving. Let’s just take some time to think of those extra special people, some may be right here, some may be far away, some may even be in heaven, no matter where they are, deep down you know, they’ve always wanted what was best for you, they’ve always cared about you beyond measure and have encouraged you to be true to the best within you.”

“You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know he or she is lovable, and consequently, the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they’re loved and capable of loving.”

“You have to make each day a special day, by just being yourself, there’s nobody else in the whole world who’s exactly like you, and people can like you as exactly as you are, you are special.” By Fred Rogers

From the time you were very little, you've had people who have smiled you into smiling, people who have talked you into talking, sung you into singing.

Love you into loving.

No matter where they are, deep down you know they've always wanted what was the best for you.

They've always cared about you beyond measure and have encouraged you to be true to the best within you.