Fred Rogers devoted quite a bit of his life to spreading benevolence.
He was also living proof that a message of kindness and reason didn't have to be removed from the human image to be delivered without duplicity or insincerity.
The guy was a bad ass in a league all his own.
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Wanna have a discussion about good people you know and/or love?

Nobody's perfect,but there are good people.

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Mr. Rogers was, is, and always will be the man. My deepest respects to someone who spent his life literally exemplifying the Elements of Harmony.

He brought children laughter.

He gave generously - his money to charity and himself to his work and his community.

He treated others with kindness and taught many of us to do the same, through his show.

He lived honestly - "Rogers also believed in not acting out a different persona on camera compared to how he acted off camera, stating that 'One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self...'."

He stood loyally by his beliefs, never once compromising his message or its delivery.

And finally, he brought a little bit of magic to all our childhoods, bringing to life the characters in his show without ever being disingenuous or fake for the sake of ratings.

He taught us to love ourselves and others, and to never give up on our dreams or the people around us. His mere existence is a testament to the goodness that lies in all of us. If the rest of the human race were shit (and it's not), this man alone would make it worth saving.

We should all follow his example and live by the simple words of Ralph Waldo Emerson (credit for the image: Zen Pencils. Warning, have some tissues handy while browsing.):

315071 Thanks for commenting. Do you have a special person(s) you wanna make a shout out to?

315076

Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

He is this generation's champion for rationality, advancement, and exploration. The Chuck Norris of astrophysics, if you will. Half of the things he says get quoted, and the other half turned into unintentional memes.

More importantly, though, he has spent his life teaching others to question assumptions, learn from the world around them, and believe in the indominatability of the human spirit. He is a true cynic... one who is willing to be cynical about cynicism itself.

If there is ever a man that can remind us all of the importance and benefits of science and technological progress, it's the man who said (Once again, Zen Pencils):

315108

They would have. Though, he's done a pretty good job so far of teaming up with Colbert:

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315089 That . . . was beautiful.

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It is sad that he's gone. On the other hand, he's influenced the formative years of so many people. Mark my words, the true spirit of Mr. Rogers will live on. In his legacy, in his work, and in the work of the people he's inspired.

Through them, he continues doing good in the world.

Don't let Nostalgia for one good man (as great as he was) distract you from the great deeds of modern men and women. Actually, this would be a great thread to talk about them.

315089
Same here.

315573
yes...it would be.

315780

Well, Tyson was "the next Carl Sagan". Carl Sagan was "the next Richard Feynman". Richard Feynman was "the Next Einstein". It keeps going.

Honestly, the next Tyson could be anyone. And, in reality, Stephen Hawking has done as much for the public image of science as Tyson has. More, some think.

So... we'll just have to wait and see who's next to pop up.

Also, I'm now a big fan of that reddit page. Thank you for showing me that.