Look for the Helpers

A Thanksgiving message of hope, and a call to action

Like millions of American kids, I grew up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS. His puppet show taught generations of children the importance of traditional values like acceptance, kindness, and empathy. Fred Rogers was also way ahead of his time in talking about mental health and managing feelings in an often scary world, concepts that today we would probably label as “mindfulness” or “dialectical behavioral therapy.”

Fast forward to 2025, and I can’t shake the feeling that a lot of the people currently in charge are in desperate need of Mr. Rogers and his lessons. We just ended the longest government shutdown in history (over healthcare subsidies for the poor and middle class) where this administration repeatedly fought in court to deny people food assistance. Masked federal agents are arresting anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant (including legal immigrants and citizens) and often violating their civil rights. Corruption in business and government is rampant, with bribes being transparently traded for favors and pardons, especially using crypto that financially benefits the president’s own family. Tech titans like Elon Musk celebrate slashing social security and AIDS assistance to poor nations even as they collect billions in federal subsidies paid for by your tax dollars. Congress has all but abdicated any oversight authority and the Supreme Court is largely rubber-stamping these abuses of power.

As if all of that wasn’t depressing enough, millions of Americans actually cheer this on! Two of the most common phrases to sum up this era are “the cruelty is the point” and “F$%& your feelings”. Our country is intensely divided, and a lot of days I despair we’ll ever be able to come together again, heal, and move forward. To sum it up, I’m often running short on hope.

In times like these, one of Fred Rogers’ most famous quotes comes to mind:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping [and] you’ll know that there’s hope”

Rogers went on to urge journalists to stop focusing exclusively on the negative and highlight those who rush towards disasters to save their fellow man. Even though this world can be filled with ugliness, we should take comfort in the fact that so many everyday people, from EMTs to doctors and nurses, firemen, police officers, and the clergy work around the clock to relieve suffering after tragedies.

As with everything in the 21st century, that phrase has gone through its own cycle of “controversy,” with some suggesting that it lets people off the hook for taking action to help themselves or solving systemic issues¹. I think that criticism distorts what Rogers meant. First of all, his message was intended to soothe young children who can’t make sense of the complexities of the adult world. Second, it should be obvious that seeing folks serving others in need inspires hope and joy, whereas cynicism breeds apathy. Finally, I would argue that it does not absolve adults of responsibility; if anything, it suggests we should join those helpers on the front line!

Even in the worst of times, there are always generous people coming to the aid of others, and we should focus on them at least as much as those causing trouble. Here are just a few examples…

Erez Reuveni was a lawyer for the Department of Justice for over 15 years. He was thrust into the spotlight this spring when he refused to lie in court about immigrants like Kilmar Abrego Garcia that were scheduled to be deported to Venezuela. Reuveni was put on leave and shortly after fired. Since then, he has fought back by filing whistleblower complaints about what he saw at the DOJ and will be testifying in contempt proceedings against the administration. Recently, he joined the non-profit legal organization Democracy Forward to use his expertise to represent immigrants, the poor, and those with civil rights claims, saying “all people have a right to safety, liberty, due process, and to me personally, it’s very important to fight the fight that articulates that point of view.”

This summer, the Senate passed a budget bill that zeroed out federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the agency that created PBS, NPR, and funds many affiliate public media outlets. With that massive funding cut, those small local stations are more reliant on individual donations than ever before. So John Oliver, who hosts the HBO comedy-news program Last Week Tonight, took it on himself to auction off many wacky items from his show—including an original Bob Ross painting that was never before on the public market—to raise money for the Public Media Bridge Fund. They ended up raising over $1.5 million dollars, along with increasing awareness of the plight of public media. If you want to give to a local station you can visit https://adoptastation.org/, and you can watch the whole segment below²:

In my own neighborhood, the non-profit Feeding Tampa Bay stepped up to support federal workers who were fired or furloughed during the shutdown. During those six weeks, they distributed an additional 200,000 meals a week (on top of their usual 1.9 million/week)! I’m happy to say that I donated to FTB and also volunteered to sort and load food in their warehouse. It felt really good to get out of my head and into the community giving back, and I plan on continuing to work with them. There is no better cure for feeling helpless than taking action, even in small ways.

We’re all inspired by grand gestures, but you don’t need to be a philanthropist with deep pockets or a politician fighting for justice or a trauma surgeon working over the holiday to make a difference. Small acts like helping someone with their luggage on a plane or giving up a seat for someone push back against the poisonous sense that society is a selfish free-for-all. Even a smile and friendly chitchat with an exhausted retail worker on Black Friday could make someone’s week.

As the days grow shorter and colder, and we find ourselves discouraged by the news all around us, remember to look for those underreported acts of service. I don’t know if karma is true in the cosmic, metaphysical sense, but one thing is certain: every time we say a kind word or do a good deed, we make the world a little better. When you gather with family and friends this holiday season, don’t just give thanks for your blessings, resolve to become one of the helpers and fight back. Darkness can only be driven out by light, and it is all of our responsibility.

—Eric

Another great Mr. Rogers quote

1. This criticism most often surfaces when people share this quote after mass shootings, despite our country largely ignoring all of the underlying causes that make them so common

2. It includes a moving clip of Fred Rogers testifying to Congress about his mission for children’s television