Why is Mr. Rogers back in the news?

The news is filled with unlikely stories this morning.

Two years ago, who would have imagined that Donald Trump would be addressing tomorrow’s United Nations General Assembly as US president? Bill Cosby was once a cultural icon; now he faces years in prison as his sentencing hearing starts today. A year ago, Tiger Woods couldn’t sit or walk because of back pain; his victory yesterday is being called “the greatest comeback story in sports history.”

And Mr. Rogers is back in the news.

Google honored Fred Rogers on the homepage of its search engine last Friday to celebrate the filming of his first episode on September 21, 1967.

I encourage you to watch the short video. You’ll learn that Mr. Rogers often named his characters for real people in his life (Queen Sara was named after his wife, for instance). His mother hand-knit all the cardigans he wore on his show, including a red sweater that is now at the Smithsonian. And the stoplight at the opening of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood always blinked yellow to remind kids and parents to slow down a little.

Fred Rogers was not the only television personality to begin a show fifty years ago. Hawaii Five-O, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, and The Mod Squad would qualify as well. But Google chose to honor Mr. Rogers instead.

What does Fred Rogers’ abiding popularity say about our troubled times?

“I like you just the way you are”

Fred Rogers’ message was simple: “I like you just the way you are.” We are starved for such unconditional affirmation because we find it so seldom in this world.

The root of our problem is not just that others condemn us for our failures. It is that we condemn ourselves for our failures.

When others criticize us, their attacks are hurtful, of course. But no one knows us as we know ourselves. No one knows our failures like we do.

No matter how much we succeed in life, no matter how much we do and own, no matter how much popularity we amass, it’s never enough. When…