The first essay in Fulghum’s collection All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which he titles “Credo”, plainly lays out his philosophy on life: people can live satisfying and meaningful lives if they only remember those basic lessons learned by all children. His proposed issue with humanity is that we often forget these simple lessons. Basic tenants of childhood like sharing, being nice, and cleaning up after one’s self are often neglected by adults. Fulghum believes that by applying these basic rules to adult existance, people, families and even nations can function more smoothly and satisfactorily. There is no doubt that this philosophy holds significant truth. Think about how any fights could be avoided by employing the old
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By maintaining his curiosity about the world around him, Fulghum turns many seemingly unimportant or ordinary occurrences into important life lessons. According to Fulghum, many of life’s important lessons can be found in everyday life, if only we are willing to look for them. In his essay “Spiders”, Fulghum examines the itsy-bitsy spider to discuss human survival and perseverance in the face of adversity. Just like the spider climbs up the spout again after being washed out by the rain, people persevere “through every kind of disaster and setback and catastrophe” (13). Who would think a simple childhood finger song could accompany such truth about human nature? In “Hide and Seek”, he draws parallels to hiding too well in a game of Hide and Seek to hiding important things from friends and family. Using the example of a man who kept his terminal cancer a secret and died without seeking the support of his loved ones, Fulghum professes that it is better to be ‘found’ and to seek help from others than to remain hidden and face our fears and troubles alone. Using a timeless children’s game, Fulghum makes insights into the importance of community and togetherness for human …show more content…
But just as his street ends, our lives will end. If only we would all remember the childhood lesson of the goldfish which has gone belly-up: everything dies. Fulghum also delves into the cycle of life and death in his essay “Mushrooms”. In it, his aversion to mushrooms prompts him to do some research about them, and through his research he discovers some universal truth about life on Earth: “ all things live only if something else is cleared out of the path to make way” (151). Fulghum’s simple dislike for mushrooms turns into a philosophical lesson on the circle of life, allowing him to reflect on the importance of death and decay and the life that in turn grows from it. These are only a few examples. Throughout Fulghum’s entire essay collection, he uses his everyday life experiences to philosophize on the nature of life and death, human nature, and the best way to live our
By maintaining his curiosity about the world around him, Fulghum turns many seemingly unimportant or ordinary occurrences into important life lessons. According to Fulghum, many of life’s important lessons can be found in everyday life, if only we are willing to look for them. In his essay “Spiders”, Fulghum examines the itsy-bitsy spider to discuss human survival and perseverance in the face of adversity. Just like the spider climbs up the spout again after being washed out by the rain, people persevere “through every kind of disaster and setback and catastrophe” (13). Who would think a simple childhood finger song could accompany such truth about human nature? In “Hide and Seek”, he draws parallels to hiding too well in a game of Hide and Seek to hiding important things from friends and family. Using the example of a man who kept his terminal cancer a secret and died without seeking the support of his loved ones, Fulghum professes that it is better to be ‘found’ and to seek help from others than to remain hidden and face our fears and troubles alone. Using a timeless children’s game, Fulghum makes insights into the importance of community and togetherness for human …show more content…
But just as his street ends, our lives will end. If only we would all remember the childhood lesson of the goldfish which has gone belly-up: everything dies. Fulghum also delves into the cycle of life and death in his essay “Mushrooms”. In it, his aversion to mushrooms prompts him to do some research about them, and through his research he discovers some universal truth about life on Earth: “ all things live only if something else is cleared out of the path to make way” (151). Fulghum’s simple dislike for mushrooms turns into a philosophical lesson on the circle of life, allowing him to reflect on the importance of death and decay and the life that in turn grows from it. These are only a few examples. Throughout Fulghum’s entire essay collection, he uses his everyday life experiences to philosophize on the nature of life and death, human nature, and the best way to live our