What We Really Need to Know

I think it’s time, this political season, to recall some basic things we all learned (or should have learned) at a very young age.  These are things that should guide our thinking, behavior, and relationships.  They are at the core of who we are (or should be) and deserve our attention and adherence.  They help us make the world a better place for our having been here.  Perhaps we should even use these things to help us make our decisions on who we will cast our vote for in the upcoming elections, based on how well we think the candidate adheres to these basics.

And we can, as adults, expand on the concepts as we consider them.  For example, number 8 implies the availability of clean water and food.  Is the candidate grateful for that availability in his/her life, and is he/she mindful in a useful and positive way toward those who do not have that availability?  You can expand many of these in similar ways.

They are things we learned at a young age, as written in All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum.

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. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play  and work every day some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,
    hold hands, and stick together.