May I have a word?

“We live or die by the words we speak,

from the world in which we live…”

- Anonymous

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said, Let there be light: and there was light…And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yield seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.” (Gen 1-3; 12 kjv).

Herein lie the richly poetic words at the beginning of the Judeo-Christian Bible.

In whatever ways these words are taken (and there are many), they are a metaphor for creation…physically and spiritually (mentally). They express a blueprint for all aspects of life.

Things to stay engaged…

Recently I saw the film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the story of the famous American television personality, Fred Rogers. A gentle soul, his daily program was dedicated to helping youngsters confront things they did not understand, using language they did. It was déjà vu for me because I had watched the real Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood earlier in my life.

Using puppet characters, and simply worded stories, Rogers spoke to children about death, anger, failure, and loss - things he knew they would confront in their lives. His calm and tender spirit helped prepare young minds to understand life. He knew speaking words to their minds could protect and enlighten them.

Rogers invited all with whom he came in contact, to be his neighbor in the community of mankind.

Old, powerful ideas…

It’s not that youngsters understood all he shared, but Rogers knew he was a farmer of sorts, planting seeds for the future. He appreciated that to reap, one must sow. He shared, and practiced what so many of the ancient’s expressed:

-   “…everything that exists is a seed of that which shall be…” (Marcus Aurelius)

-   “Just poke a hole in the ground and drop in a seed. It is an act of faith.”  (Plutarch)

-     “…the herb yield seed and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.” (Genesis - above)

-    Seeds (words) planted in fertile soil (minds) “…brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold…” (Christ – Matt, Mark, Luke) 

The way we got here…

This blueprint, of course, is the reason every living thing exists. For a moment, consider the sperm and egg of fish…birds…reptiles…mammals…US! So tiny as to be invisible to the naked eye, and yet from that seed planted in the fertile soil of the womb…here they (we) are! An astonishingly predictive model.

Visible reflects invisible…

This is also the spiritual (mental) blueprint every parent, teacher, minister, or any other communicator of ideas knows. Words, thoughts, or images planted in the empty and fertile soil of our minds are the way we know anything - the movement from 'darkness to light.'

Rogers made it his mission to share the things he knew with the children who watched his program. In doing so, he enlightened not only youngsters but adults who sat alongside them, learning better ways to communicate with their own kids.

Somehow this man found what all of us seek…his place in the universe. As the ant or the bee or other creatures act their part in nature, he sensed his purpose in the broader tapestry of life.  With a practiced and sharpened gift, his daily heart-to-heart expressions crafted from experience, planted thoughts in fertile young minds.

Rogers gave children armor with which to fight fear and anger and judgment and prejudice. He understood you had to be loved first in order to understand love. He wanted them to know he loved them, so they could learn to love themselves. His practiced gift found its mark.

David Brooks, writer for the New York Times says, "One of the greatest legacies a person can leave is a moral ecology – a system of belief and behavior that lives on after they die.” Fred Rogers did so in spades.

Taking stock…

Most of the things that distract our daily lives pass like morning mists. But edifying words and ideas have staying power. They keep us from slipping back into the darkness from whence we came.

The key is to distribute (plant) things with one another that are encouraging and life-promoting. In these times of the pandemic, we have the opportunity to look inside, find those things and share them. 

Paying forward in small ways…

In these times of isolation and fear, we could all be a little more like Mr. Rogers. We could let people know we are thinking of them. There is strength in connecting with others, if for no other reason than an expression of our interconnectedness.

Around my office, there are small notes on my bookcase, pictures, and computer to remind me to try to be more Christ-like…Marcus Aurelius-like…Plutarch-like…and yes, Mr. Rogers like. I need these reminders to keep from slipping into the easy darkness of mental isolation. They remind me I am fragile and require interaction with others.

We are in crisis. Things are happening, we don't understand...we fear an enemy we cannot see, or touch, or feel. There is no race, nor culture, nor gender, nor education, nor home, nor income that will prevent the possibility of being affected by this virus. 

So, we are all in this together on spaceship earth, and since we were made for communication, I’ve gotta ask…

Will you be my neighbor?

- ted