Mr. Rogers Remixed

Laugh all you want, but I believe that there is a quiet brilliance to this video. Mr. Rogers is an important cultural figure. The lessons we learn from our experiences as children directly influence our values as adults. Mr. Rogers served as the ambassador of life for so many children and undoubtedly helped to shape the world for the better.

John Boswell (the dude who made this video) obviously has a solid understanding of how to make a remix. This might be a bit hyperbolic but screw it, the first 22 seconds of the video as well as the breakdown in the middle are somewhat Kanye-esque (Kanye can be, well, complicated, but I mean that as a compliment, the guy is an awesome producer).

Do you ever imagine things, are they scary things? 

This is a good line to open with because it helps to convey one of the most important lessons in life: it will kick your ass for absolutely no reason. What is a scary thing? The unknown. We fear things because we do not have enough information about them to assess whether they will harm us. Follow Mr. Rogers' advice and imagine a scary thing. What is it?

$100 says that whatever you are thinking about either takes place in a dark setting or in the future.

Do you ever imagine things, things you'd like to have 

Another important aspect of life is managing your ego. If I follow Mr. Rogers' instructions, I automatically think about an Audi R8

Yowza

or Kate Upton.

Double Yowza

We deal with various levels of desire on a daily basis. Managing them so that they are productive instead of self-indulging is vital to maintaining a well balanced life.

Did you ever see a cat's eyes in the dark?

Sorry, there isn't enough weed in the world to make me rationalize this quote into something philosophical. But they are creepy. Kids should be prepared for that shit.

Did you ever grow anything in the garden of your mind? You can grow ideas, in the garden of your mind. It's good to be curious, about many things. You can think about things and make believe, all you have to do is think, and they'll grow.

Bang. Here's what drives this video home in my book. Mr. Rogers plants the entrepreneurial seed right here.

We are obsessed with labels. If we cannot define something with one or two words, we tend to place less focus on it. Entrepreneur is a charged word in our society because so many associate it with a drive to create good things for the rest of the world.

The problem is, a rogue scientist selling nuclear devices to terrorist groups can definitionally be an entrepreneur as well. Anyone who grows a business (defined as a money making venture) out of nothing is technically an entrepreneur. The products are secondary to the fact that a money making apparatus has been devised around a good that satisfies the needs of a group of people.

Instead of labeling every altruistic or beneficial activity as "entrepreneurial," let's revert to a more grassroots interpretation of the concept. A garden is the perfect analogy for our brains. If we supply it with the right materials (sleep, water, and multiple viewpoints), life will grow out of it.

The Pollis sprouted out of my brain. Steve Jobs devised the iPhone and iPod after rattling his brain with LSD for years. And Henry Ford found a replacement for the horse and carriage in the back of his mind (I'm not comparing myself to two of the most impactful entrepreneurs in world history, just trying to create a little context to justify another spot to promote The Pollis, so visit it, won't you? :-D).

The right business at the right time can irrevocably change the world. Even if you are at the very bottom of the totem pole in your career, utilize the resources located behind your forehead. Every idea, no matter how small, has the potential to benefit someone.

Imagine every person that you see, is someone different, from every other person in the world. Some can do some things. Some can do others. Do you ever think of the many things you've learned to do? 

Mr. Rogers reinforces his point about developing independent thought by pointing out that everyone is different and there are nearly an infinite amount of professions in life. Just think about your group of friends and all the different contributions they make to society. Everything they are doing started as nothing more than an idea. They are just executing the plan.

Mr. Rogers' last line alludes to a simple equation that we all believe to be true: hard work + time = success. Take a look at your skill set and think about ways that you could utilize it. Then venture out into the masses online and do a little research. I guarantee that you will come up with at least one idea.

There are so many things, to learn about in this world. And so many people who can help us learn.

Keep an open mind and listen. The internet is the greatest educational tool in the history of mankind because it gives us direct access to the world's greatest resource: mankind. While sitting at home in my pajamas, I can take classes from Stanford professors on Coursera or head over to YouTube and learn how to write code.

No one person has all the answers. The only way that we are going to get through these turbulent times is by leaning on each other for help. We have a tendency to complicate things. Sometimes it's important to take a step back and view life from its most basic level. Mr. Rogers proves that not only is he still relevant in 2012, but that he possesses some valuable knowledge on how to deal with the future as well.