It seems that America is on the precipice of a cataclysmic future. The world is being bombarded by fatalistic attitudes and people everywhere are writing that the United States has failed.

Maybe they are right. Flint Michigan still doesn’t have clean water and Puerto Rico is without power. Children do not feel safe in American schools for fear of gun violence and xenophobia seems to have become ingrained in the souls of many citizens, including the President. Now, more than ever we need Mr. Fred Rogers.

Fred Rogers was a Presbyterian Minister, known for his show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood which aired for 895 episodes. He won two Peabody awards, four Emmy Awards, and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and by the Television Critic Association.

In 2002, George Bush awarded Rogers the Presidential Medal of Freedom. For all of the accolades however, Rogers was most notably remembered for his human decency, notably lacking in the White House and Capitol Hill.

Mr. Rogers who could easily have been labeled “America’s Grandfather” was an advocate of people working together, notably saying, “It’s very dramatic when two people come together to work something out. It’s easy to take a gun and annihilate your opposition, but what is really exciting to me is to see people with differing views come together and finally respect each other.”

The United States of America is stuck in a political rut, where refusing to engage in bipartisanship is more appealing than working across the aisle. Today, Republicans who attempt to work with Democrats are labelled Rinos.

People are so afraid of hearing opposing views, that Americans intentionally consume news sources which have a political bias, so they don’t have to encounter anything they disagree with.

Imagine if the country came together and compromised. Perhaps we would have a national healthcare system which meets the needs of both sides, or maybe Congress could come up with background checks that even gun owners approve of.

If only we had a public official who stood up and said, “When I say it’s you I like, I’m talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.”

This democracy could be reinvigorated by a leader promoting loving rhetoric! Can you imagine what American History would look like if a woman or man who embodied the qualities of Mr. Rogers were President?

Surely when the KKK marched in Charlottesville, Virginia this past August, they would have been condemned.

Perhaps the United States would not have the highest incarceration rates in the world. Maybe the country could even acknowledge that Black lives do matter.

Most importantly, however, if we remembered the teachings of Mr. Rogers, I believe that the United States of America would remember that greatness is a useless title.

Surely, he would advocate that “Making America Great Again” is a pointless and futile endeavor if we forget the poorest, most disenfranchised citizens.

I will leave you with this story from Mr. Rogers who was describing an event at the Special Olympics.

He wrote, “For the hundred-yard dash, there were nine contestants, all of them so-called physically or mentally disabled. All nine of them assembled at the starting line and, at the sound of the gun, they took off. But one little boy didn’t get very far. He stumbled and fell and hurt his knee and began to cry. The other eight children heard the boy crying. They slowed down, turned around, and ran back to him–every one of them ran back to him. The little boy got up, and he and the rest of the runners linked their arms together and joyfully walked to the finish line. They all finished the race at the same time. And when they did, everyone in the stadium stood up and clapped and whistled and cheered for a long, long time. And you know why? Because deep down we know that what matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win, too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.”

Today, more than ever, if America wants to thrive, we need to remember kindness. May we all be those eight children who recognized that greatness is nothing without love.

Most importantly, let us never forget Mr. Rogers. We need him more than ever.