"There isn't anyone you couldn't love if you heard their story."

I love Mr. Rogers. I mean I used to dig his TV show, and then I thought he was weird, but I stumbled across this in today's reading for class and this quote is the shit. To me, it sums up everything about the goals of not just storytellers (us), and not just Christians (us), but especially someone who happens to be both (us).

The human story is very complicated--it has many complex natures packed into one and it is seemingly endless. We are all created in God's image. However, at least for me, this image is unclear. We get little tastes of it here and there from the people we meet and the experiences we have and they are all lovable in some way. My goal in life is to spread my experiences with people and events in such a way that many people from all walks of life can understand and appreciate the vast differences in human nature. I firmly believe that if we could understand more about each other and why we all seem so different, we could make peace. This is our HUGE task that I for one have very naively committed myself to. What matters is that I am up for the challenge.

Again: THIS IS THE ENTIRE REASON I AM EVEN ATTENDING COLLEGE. By ourselves, we can only learn through our own experiences about the wondrous nature of this world, but through the WONDERFUL gift of storytelling!--we have the potential to reach others on a very deep level and convey some of our most hidden motives without necessarily using words.

It takes time to understand a person, the decisions they make, the damage they do to themselves and others around them--but I can honestly say, even the nastiest, most rotten person I've ever met has proven Mr. Rogers right in my eyes. I love everyone I have ever come to know, regardless of their past or even their present or planned future. I believe everyone is trying to do good. This is the only truth I cling to and believe to be completely true.

If there's a message I want to send to this world, Mr. Rogers has summarized it quite nicely for me. Thanks dude.