HUU Sermon Archives

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

By Lynn Lough
March 9, 2003

As members and friends of a Unitarian Universalist congregation, we join in a covenant to promote a set of seven principles, the first of these principles being to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

young — old

black-white-yellow

nice-mean

pretty-ugly-kind-hateful

George Bush — Saddam Hussien — Osama Bin Ladin.

Most of us could spend every waking moment of our entire life pursuing this ideal

and never come close to mastery.

When I volunteered to speak on this 1st principle, I was very excited and found myself pulled in many different directions, with many thoughts and theories on what the principle meant and how one might go about affirming it in daily life.

I recalled how earlier this year in RE the kids and I attempted to boil each principle down to one word. The word we finally chose for the 1st principle was LOVE.

But could it really be that simple?

I wasn't wholly convinced, then life intervened. Fred Rogers died.

And I cried.

Not just misty eyes and lumpy throat, but tears running down my cheeks intermittently for several hours after I heard the news.

What was is about this man?

A TV personality for heaven's sake,

A guy on a kid's show that I had really only become aware of in my adulthood, first through Eddie Murphy's SNL parody, and later through watching PBS when my son was young, not someone I had grown up with as millions had.

what was it about this man who had evidently touched my life so deeply that I mourned the loss of him as I would have a friend?

Between my tears I hopped on the information highway and searched for the answer,

and this is what I found in Mister Roger's words:

"You know, you don't have to look like everybody else to be acceptable and to feel acceptable. All everyone wants is to feel loved and capable of loving."

I'll REPEAT that..... "All everyone wants is to feel loved and capable of loving."

Love....

once again I ask...

Is it really that simple (and please note here by simple I in no way imply easy).

Mister Roger's didn't just think so, he dedicated his entire life, not just his career, to the concept.

For over thirty years he wrote, produced and appeared in every episode of the longest running show on PBS.

A show that was filled with love....daily affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every child and adult who's life he touched.

He was consistent, and familiar, he was reassuring and gentle and honest and respectful.

When his pet goldfish died, he didn't just flush it and get a new one.

He told his TV neighbors how sad it was for him.

He gave validity to our feelings by sharing his own.

He once said, "Of course, I get angry. Of course, I get sad. I have a full range of emotions. (but) "I have always tried to understand the other person and invariably I've discovered that somebody who rubs you the wrong way has been rubbed the wrong way many times.

I also have a whole smorgasbord of ways of dealing with my feelings. That is what we should give children. Give them...ways to express their rage without hurting themselves or somebody else. That's what the world needs."

The whole idea, he told his coworkers, was to look at the television camera and present as much love as you possibly could to a person who might feel that he or she needs it."

To quote Henry Schuster CNN Senior Producer and longtime friend, in an article of appreciation following Fred Roger's death:

"Immediate and unconditional love.

That was Fred's gift, especially to children:

total attention, complete respect, immediate and unconditional love.

The same Fred Roger's you met was who you saw on the screen.

He told us how those few feet between the screen and where children were sitting, watching, was "sacred space, and he was passionate about the responsibility he had as a broadcaster."

Imagine if we all thought of those few feet between us and the people we come in close contact with on a daily basis as sacred space, imagine if we could expand that sacred space to those who live across the street, across town, across the country, across the ocean, and continents. Then we would all truly live in Mister Roger's neighborhood.

Love it's that simple. Maybe with practice we can make it that easy.

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