Uplifting film shows us real integrity of thoughts, words and deeds is possible

RECENTLY I wrote in these pages about a scheme for Lent 2020. “Fast and Feast” is an opportunity to seek to eliminate the negativity that has infected our lives in recent years. We are encouraged instead to fill our minds with thoughts that will build up ourselves and others. If you wonder what such a life might look like I can do no better than urge you to pay a visit to the cinema (unless you have given up such trips for Lent) to see, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”.

The film tells the story of Fred Rogers. His name is little known in our country but he had a huge impact on the lives of American children over several decades. His wholesome, weekly television programmes helped children deal with a variety of challenging situations and regularly reminded every viewer that they were valuable not because of who they might become but because of who they are right now.

A cynical journalist refuses to believe that the clean-cut television image of Mr Rogers can be genuine.

He sets out to uncover the truth beneath the surface. He can find no disparity between what millions of television viewers saw every week and the man who went home to his wife and family at the end of each broadcast. One of the most telling moments of the film comes when the journalist asks Mr Rogers what he is “really” like. There is a look of bewilderment on Fred Rogers face (played by Tom Hanks) as he explains that he genuinely doesn’t understand the question.

We have discovered often that what people say and who they are can be very different things. In fact we know from our own lives that we are as capable of hypocrisy as the next man (or woman). But that doesn’t mean that such integrity of thought, words and action cannot be achieved. We see it in the life of Jesus and occasionally God raises up a Fred Rogers to remind us that there is more to discover for our lives than we have dared believed possible.