What is the author's credo in "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"?
Certainly, Fulgham's credo would be to embrace the world as one learns to do when in Kindergarten. The world that one sees in Kindergarten is one filled with optimism, a sense of adventure, and the understanding that there are opportunities in life wherever one "looks." Outside of the 16 rules...
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that the book puts forth, I think that being able Fulgham would define his credo as being able to appropriate the world in accordance to one's kindergarten subjectivity. The ability to reach back into the psyche and pull the way that life appeared at the most elemental of stages becomes a secret to being happy with one's self, one's world and one's place in it.
The credo that Fulgham embraces is startling in its simplicity, but is also a condition in which its approach to being is universally applicable. A credo that can be seen in the same context would be one in which individuals live by their doing their duty and avoiding the fruits of one's labor. In a similar way to Fulgham's approach, the idea of doing one's duty for its own sake cuts through the veneer of experience and supposed maturation and strives to view the world in the way a child views it. Love of what one does for the sake of doing it as opposed to what is attached to it could be seen as a credo that defines one's being in the same capacity as Fulgham's.
What important themes does the author convey in the poem "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"?
In "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," Robert Fulghum emphasizes the simple rules of living decently that all children are taught but so many adults seem to forget somewhere along the way. We should share our things, "play fair," don't hurt others (and say we're sorry when we do), "live a balanced life" (keep our lives diverse by playing and working and singing and dancing a little every day), and take care of one another.
However, the higher we climb in the rat race that is corporate America, the more we learn to protect our things, our jobs, our specialties and knowledge. Corporate conglomerates shift their attention to making as much money for their shareholders as they can, thus forgetting that they shouldn't hurt others and they should "clean up their own mess"--think of the recent environmental disasters where taxpayers foot the bill. As we are drawn into the corporate ladder, we become creatures of habit, stuck in a rut, working 8-10 hours a day and forgetting to make time to "draw and paint and see and dance," thus forfeiting small portions of our own humanity and enjoyment of life in the drive to make more money. We become cynical and forget to "be aware of wonder."