Columnist learns life lessons through visual media

The early civilizations of humankind were oral societies.Traditions were passed down through generations by storytelling. These stories and lessons were the key to human memory.

Now, thanks to the invention of written language, we have gotten pretty good at keeping written records, and thanks to film, we really don’t have to remember or read anything at all. What a relief.

Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but it is fact that our culture has become increasingly more visual, not aural. We trust what we see, and so often what we see is on our television sets or computer screens. Surprisingly, I don’t often find we put much thought into what we’re watching.

There are some TV producers who are all about financial profit, so they make what they think people want to see. Then there are a special few who create what they believe people need to see, and hope it will be well received.

For an example of the latter, we had Jim Henson.

The man was absolutely brilliant, a complete and utter visionary, and what’s more, he actually believe that “Fraggle Rock” would change the world.

Henson saw a world where tolerance and fair play were lauded, and where equality and cross-cultural values were an essential part of the human experience.

I never thought too deeply about that when I was just a kid, but it’s almost impossible to watch his creations and not recognize what he was attempting.

“Why wonder why? I am green and it’ll do fine. It’s beautiful and I think it’s what I want to be.”

He wanted to create a better future where your appearance didn’t define you, a future where people of all backgrounds and lifestyles could live in harmony. Perhaps you didn’t realize that a bunch of ragtag muppets were teaching you important life lessons, but I assure you, they were.

Henson once said, “Watch out for each other. Love and forgive everybody. It’s a good life, enjoy it!”

What better advice do we need?