Some time ago, author Robert Fulghum wrote a delightful little book entitled All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which became an instant bestseller. The subtitle said it all about this wonderfully witty volume: uncommon thoughts on common things. "Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be," Fulgham writes, "I learned in kindergarten."
The author shares that wisdom isn't necessarily borne by college diplomas but buried under pre-school sandboxes. These are some of the things he learned during that period in his life:
1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don't hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. Clean up your own mess.
6. Don't take things that aren't yours.
7. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Live a balanced life.
11. Take a nap every afternoon.
12. When you go out, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Now, ask yourself, aren't these the same simple rules that we need to live by these days? There is something about childhood that makes us realize that those were the days when we really learned about life. (No wonder another very successful author, Dr. Seuss, referred to adults as "obsolete children.")
There's still a little kid in all of us that tells us not to hit our playmates, even if they're already a few feet taller and sporting name cards and portfolio cases. And creativity, mind you, didn't begin with some smart career move but with that forgotten box of crayons you colored acres and acres of notepad with.
Somebody once said, "Law are the rules by which the game of life is played." There are laws that govern nations and laws within organizations. But there are also natural laws that are inherent in the conscience of every person who lives on this planet. As we grow up we understand these laws betters as we interact with others. They are not taught but instead are learned on the game board of humanity. These are the basic rules of right and wrong, of love and compassion, of justice and mercy, and of order and equality, rules that even a child in all his innocence would know and understand (as Fulghum clearly illustrated in his book). These are what we call universal laws.