“No one knows what he can do until he tries.”
“Mistakes are doorways to discovery.”
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
“When the world says, ‘Give up,’ Hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’”
“Good example is the best sermon.”
“Honesty is the best policy.”
“To have a friend, be one.”
These are just some of the laws of life by which we live. Often called wise sayings or maxims, the laws of life transcend religions, cultures, and national borders. They reveal the core values that make up our character, and they provide us with a moral compass as we journey through life. Sir John Templeton, who created the Laws of Life Essay Contest in 1987, writes about the importance of these ‘laws’:
“To be a happy and useful person, we must understand and practice the laws of life. The world operates on moral and spiritual principles just as it does on laws of physics and gravity. It is up to us to learn what those principles are and then live by them.”
So what are your laws of life?
When you think about it, that is quite a challenging question. And that is exactly what young people are asked when they participate in the Laws of Life Essay Contest. There is no right answer or quick response. In order to succeed in this activity, contest participants need to reflect and write from the heart about what they think matters most in life. As young people write their essays, they must identify a law of life and relate that law to their own life experiences.
