Since America’s founding in 1776, a dozen “revolutions” have fundamentally transformed society here in the United States.

From political revolutions (American, Progressive, Conservative) to economic (Market and Industrial), technological (Information and AI), social (Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and LGBT), and cultural (Sexual and Social Media), the country has been shaped (for good and bad) by paradigm-shifting movements.

We desperately need one more: a Wholesomeness Revolution.

What’s considered “wholesome” is subjective, but according to Merriam-Webster, it’s generally understood to be what’s “good for one’s health or well-being” or more specifically, one’s “mental or moral health.” In drilling down to better defining it, I’m ironically reminded of how United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously described the threshold test for obscenity: “I know it when I see it.”

Wholesome things make you feel good without leaving you feeling guilty or dirty. They build people up rather than tear them down. It’s truth as opposed to lies, kindness instead of meanness, encouragement not discouragement, hopefulness, humility and respectfulness. It’s collaboration and cooperation, not conflict.

The comedian Nate Bargatze wasn’t talking about wholesomeness, but he was modeling it when he said his goal is “To be funny on stage without saying things that embarrass or upset my parents.” He then added, “Being nice to others was a household principle. Insulting someone for a laugh was frowned upon.”

Few people may remember Senator John O. Pastore (D-R.I.), who passed away in 2000 at the age of 93. At the time of his death, it was noted he had been the smallest governor, then the smallest senator, of the smallest state in America. At 5 feet 4 inches, the diminutive Democrat had nevertheless been a formidable force in politics.

Although he’s been gone for over a quarter-century, Senator Pastore still shows up in social media videos thanks to a memorable exchange he had on May 1, 1969, with children’s television legend, Fred Rogers.

Mr. Rogers was testifying before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications. At the time, the Nixon administration was looking to reduce the budget for Public Broadcasting (PBS) from $20 million to $10 million. Fred Rogers was there to try and persuade Congress to preserve the subsidy. Senator Pastore, who was chairing the committee, was skeptical and initially pressed Fred to quickly make his point.

“I’m very much concerned, as I know you are, about what’s being delivered to our children in this country,” stated Mr. Rogers. “I’ve worked in the field of child development for six years now, trying to understand the inner needs of children. We deal with such things as the inner drama of childhood. We don’t have to bop somebody over the head to make drama on the screen.”

Many of us loved Mr. Rogers, which is why one of his red sweaters hangs in the Smithsonian. He wasn’t flashy. He smiled, spoke slowly, and recognized the importance of protecting and nurturing childhood innocence.

In his exchange with Senator Pastore, Fred recited the lyrics to a song he had written about how children might process the “mad” they were feeling, in which he emphasized the importance of developing self-control:

“What do you do? Do you punch a bag? Do you pound some clay or some dough? Do you round up friends for a game of tag or see how fast you go? It’s great to be able to stop when you’ve planned a thing that’s wrong. And be able to do something else instead, and think this song through.”

An emotionally moved Senator Pastore replied, “I think it’s wonderful. Looks like you just earned the 20 million dollars.”

In a more wholesome America, we’d encourage young men and women to marry earlier than later, stay united for a lifetime, and have lots of children. Church attendance would be a lot higher, and Christians would be seen as part of the solution rather than the problem.

A few more of the many wonderful things: every child, born and preborn, would be protected under the rule of law, profanity would be unacceptable in any situation, pornography wouldn’t be winked at, only girls would be allowed to play in women’s sports, marijuana wouldn’t be legal, sports betting wouldn’t be ensnaring young people, all entertainment would be family-friendly, and law enforcement would be respected.

Best of all, a “Wholesomeness Revolution” would be peaceful, redemptive, and restorative – much like those thirty minutes a day we used to spend in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.  

Paul J. Batura is a local writer and founder of the 4:8 Media Network. He can be reached via email at Paul@PaulBatura.com or on X @PaulBatura.