Be More Like Charles Ingalls and Less Like Harriet Oleson
The world would be a kinder, gentler, less shouty place if more people channeled their inner Charles Ingalls and stopped taking cues from Harriet Oleson.
If you’re not familiar with Little House on the Prairie, think of it this way. Charles is the guy who would stop to fix your wagon wheel, listen to your problems without judging, and share his last biscuit with you even if you had been kind of a jerk the day before. Harriet is the lady who would tell you to your face that your bonnet was outdated, gossip about your parenting, and report you to the church board because your cow wandered into her yard.
Charles Ingalls was the gold standard of decency. He was kind. He was respectful. And most importantly, he was open-minded at a time when that was anything but common. He made friends with everyone, not just the people who looked like him or agreed with him. He treated strangers like neighbors and neighbors like family.
There is a powerful moment in the series where Charles invites a Black man to stay in his home. In a time and place where that decision ruffled feathers, Charles never blinked. He believed in doing what was right, not what was popular. He did not grandstand. He did not make it about himself. He just quietly lived his values. Respect, kindness, and dignity for all people.
He disagreed with plenty of folks in Walnut Grove. But he never made those disagreements personal. He did not belittle people. He did not talk over them or write them off. He listened. He learned. And when the time came to stand up for someone, he stood tall.
Now compare that to Harriet Oleson.
Harriet was judgmental. Mean. Petty. She looked down on anyone who was different or less wealthy or did not belong to the same church. If you were not like her, you were not worth her time. She did not try to understand people. She gossiped about them. Mocked them. Made sure everyone knew just how little she thought of those she called “those people.”
She did not build community. She built walls. She did not make space for others. She closed doors. And she did it with a smug smile and a lace-trimmed dress.
The world is already mean enough. It is already divided enough. We are constantly told that if someone does not look like us, think like us, or vote like us, they must be the enemy. Or that something is wrong with them. That kind of thinking is not only exhausting, it is dangerous. It breaks communities. It breaks families. It breaks people.
We all have a choice in how we treat people. We can be like Charles. We can lead with empathy. We can open our hearts and homes. We can show respect to people we do not agree with. We can be brave enough to care.
Or we can be like Harriet. We can judge. Exclude. Gossip. Pretend that being right is more important than being kind.
This world has enough Harriets. It needs more Charleses.
Charles Ingalls never had Facebook, but if he did, he would use it to build people up, not tear them down.
Charles Ingalls was the original dude.
