Remember way back when?

Ever re-visit something from your childhood?

Last year for my birthday, my parents bought be the complete set of the Gospel Bill Show. It was my absolute favorite show when I was little. It came on right after re-runs of RinTinTin in the afternoons. It was also on Saturday mornings with Quigley's Village and Joy Junction. Along with the childhood standards of Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, I have vivid memories of watching Gospel Bill.

Even though I received the DVDs last year, I didn't get a chance to watch them. I left them at home when I moved and the idea was that we would watch them as a family. Last time I was home, we were celebrating my birthday and I pulled them out with the intention of watching them.  We went swimming instead. I brought the first dvd back with me.

I curled up on my bed and braced myself for disillusionment.

Nothing

It such a pleasant surprise to have something be as good as I remembered it.  It was something that I think I could show to kids now (depends on the kids) and they might (hopefully?) enjoy them.   The live action stories, the puppet storyline, and the music made me smile.  I'm looking forward to working through the whole set.  Silly of me? Maybe. But definitely very enjoyable.  

Do you have a favorite childhood program that you like to revisit?

I'll leave you with one of my favorite bits.

Integrity

–noun

1.

adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

2.

the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

3.

a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.

(dictionary.com)

I've been watching Zen, a new mystery series on pbs, this week. The whole point of the show is that Detective Zen is a man of integrity on a police force known for its corruption. I've always thought of integrity as doing what's right regardless of the cost. Yet, for a man with a reputation for integrity, Zen bends the rules when he needs/wants to. He has a double standard when it comes to relationships. He uses his pull to get his rival reassigned.

Still sound like a man of integrity?

Maybe compared to the rest of his department.

When did integrity become a relative matter? By the end of the show, I wasn't sure that I liked him very much. It was a well done show and enjoyable but I couldn't get past the integrity issue. Even according to the dictionary.com definition, he wasn't acting with integrity as he violated his own moral code. At least, he never claimed to be a man of integrity. I'll give him that.