Bob Ross and Fred Rogers Inspire Me by Ethan R.
Be it a little child smiling at you after doing something nice for them, a family member that continues to push their limits, or a moment in history that reaches you on an emotional level, inspiration can be taken from countless sources. I draw many inspirations from areas such as these like any other person, but what I consider to be some of the most unique inspirations that I possess come in the form of two unlikely individuals who have long passed, that I have never met in my life, and were completely unaware of my existence. These two people are Bob Ross and Fred Rogers, and they are my inspiration for continuously working on becoming a better person by attempting to understand the unknown, others, and myself. Bob Ross, most famously known for his work on the popular PBS series “The Joy of Painting” which ran from 1983 to 1994, is by far one of the kindest personalities I have ever had the pleasure of watching and has taught me many valuable life lessons through art. Similarly, Fred Rogers, host of the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” series on the same network which ran from 1968 to 2001, taught me many lessons about how to treat others and the importance of patience and curiosity. In the following, the manner in which these two people inspire me to become a better person every day will be further explained.
On its surface, the show “The Joy of Painting” is rather simple. A man appears on screen with a blank canvas, a pallet of colors, some brushes, and a happy attitude, but to discredit the show’s premise by providing the statement that the show is purely about learning how to paint by watching some guy with an afro as he painted would be a disgrace to the brilliance that is Bob Ross. Through half-hour segments, Bob would enter our homes and teach us how to paint. To an individual with no interest in painting such as myself, the portion of the show dedicated to painting was simply background noise while the real star of the show was Bob himself along with his attitude and wisdom. While painting, Bob would often speak to the audience about his own life and how sometimes bad things happened to him, but he always found a way to escape into his craft and express himself through it, simultaneously informing us that while bad things come our way, the good is always around the corner and we just have to keep waiting on it. Bob would go on to speak to the viewers about the importance of understanding one another and how we should learn to enjoy life as it is while focusing on the positives and brush aside the negatives. He made a point to imply that the lowest points of our lives should be overlooked, but only enough so that we do not linger on them, we should still learn from them. Due to these short bursts of insight, Bob inspires me to make attempts in gaining understanding through different negative occurrences throughout my own life and use them as learning experiences rather than dwell on them.
The manner in which the show was presented allowed the audience to paint alongside Bob and attempt to create the same piece of art he was working on. Throughout any episode, Bob might make tiny mistakes in his paintings, but he understood the necessity for these mistakes, or happy accidents, in his art as each one made every painting unique from one another. If one were to follow the show step by step, participating in painting the exact same scene Bob was creating, they would find themselves making different errors. The act of doing so while attempting to paint the same scene may seem incompetent to some, but the understanding that each painting is now unique due to its different mistakes translates directly into how unique each of us is from one another, and Bob knew that.
Through simple symbolic messages like this, Bob taught me that it is okay that every person is different from one another, and that our differences can make us more unique, interesting, and work together in ways that may not have been imaginable previously. His carefree attitude towards life and his overwhelming and almost omnipotent understanding of the human condition inspire me to think less critically of others and myself every single day. While I lack a creative bone in my body as far as drawing or painting are concerned and should probably never have developed an interest in the show, through his series Bob taught me how to better understand myself and others. Bob had whimsically created world after world, happy accident after happy accident, showing me that even in the most imperfect entities beauty can be found. With his use of paint, charcoal, and happy little clouds and trees, he taught me that there are no limits to what we can do with what is in front of us as long as we believe it in our minds and hearts. Even long after his passing in 1995, Bob continues to inspire me to care for others altruistically and to look at each person as if they were their own masterpiece.
Unlike “The Joy of Painting,” “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was an obvious attempt at teaching children life lessons that could prove to be beneficial, and while they were not as impactful to me as Bob Ross’, Fred Rogers’ lessons of curiosity and patience had worn off on me and continue to inspire me to this day. Every episode would begin with this friendly man entering his home, taking off his shoes and suit coat and putting on slippers and a cardigan, almost as if to say “it is time to relax and learn in a comfortable environment.” The show would continue from there as Fred Rogers would invite us to join him on his journeys to places such as factories, schools, and other various workplaces or educational environments as he participated in the practice of educating himself along with his audience. Fred preached curiosity as he led his audience through scenes that would teach us how crayons were made, or how certain cultures make their pottery, only stopping the action to inform the other individuals how much he appreciated their time or to ask important questions. The level of interest and number of questions that Mr. Rogers would ask these people as he guided his audience through the scenes led to an understanding in myself of the importance of curiosity and gaining understanding in things that I knew little about. The show went on at a slow pace, very unlike anything one could expect to see on television programs directed at children nowadays, but it gave us ample time to absorb everything that was occurring. The pace of the show and Fred’s dialogue with his friends helped me to understand the importance of patience and continue to inspire me to this day to practice it, especially while interacting with others who are lacking in it. Due to the nature of the show being geared towards education, the underlying premise of each episode was how we should remain curious about objects and people around us while attempting to gain a firmer understanding of how things work. Because the episodes were constructed in this manner, above all else, Fred inspires me to remain curious about the world around me while simultaneously waiting patiently for explanations.
I take a certain pride in my ability to understand and read others along with my will to please them that come directly from influences that inspire me to do so such as Bob Ross and Fred Rogers. I appreciate their work greatly and look to them for inspiration every now and then. While Bob and Fred’s shows differed greatly, having wildly different premises, characters, and dialogue, they both successfully taught me the importance that comes along with understanding and befriending others who are different from myself and working together in polite ways to come to a mutually beneficial conclusion. Bob and Fred inspire me every day to be mindful of others, to care for them, to remain patient, and to be curious about everything that I fail to comprehend, all qualities that I believe are of the utmost importance while attempting to become a better human being. If I had the opportunity to speak with the two of them and let them know how much of an impact they have had on my life, I would do so in a heartbeat. The television shows along with their hosts may be long gone, but Bob and Fred will always have a place in my home, neighborhood, and heart.
