Let's take a moment to mourn the death of Kermit Scott, a philosophy professor who inspired Jim Henson's immortal puppet, Kermit the Frog, and who died last month at age 71.

Almost every American -- and probably a lot of others around the world -- under 40 grew up with a handful of maxims, catch-phrases, and one-liners culled from the socially conscious, progressive world of 1970s pop culture. It was a great time to be a kid: Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact and its "One to Grow On" taught us tolerance, respect, and self-acceptance.

One of the greatest of these life lessons was Kermit the Frog's quasi-pathetic but always endearing lament, "It's not easy being green."

The "Bein' Green" song highlighted important issues of the time, and of today: identity, difference, and even race. Kermit's melancholy crooning may have been cute, but it was a sentiment many kids can relate to.

Kermit Scott was an appropriate namesake for his reptillian legacy. After teaching philosophy at Yale and Millsapps College, he retired to pursue a Master's degree in social work. For the last 15 years of his life, Scott was a counselor and founded two organizations for the poor: the Food Bank of Lafayette, Indiana, and Welfare Rights Organization.

[Image Credit: pdphoto on Wikimedia Commons]