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                                       Maybury’s Two Laws: A Simpler Path to Justice

Where Did Justice Go?
Folks, the information I'm sharing with you today comes in part from a fascinating book entitled Whatever Happened to Justice? by Richard Maybury—an author and well-respected financial advisor.

Over the course of human history, people came up with ways to settle their differences and maintain order in society. Over time, this evolved into what we call common law, grounded in an understanding of higher moral principles.

What’s truly remarkable is that two fundamental principles are at the heart of this system. And while major religions and philosophies often clash on many points, they agree—almost universally—on these two simple laws.

Maybury’s Two Laws
Richard Maybury identifies the two principles like this:

1.      Do all you have agreed to do.

2.      Do not encroach on other persons or their property.

He writes,

“These two laws are stated and restated throughout the lore of all the great religions. They are the point on which all come together. But only these two. Except for them, we have little or no agreement about right and wrong.”

Think about it—

·         “Do all you have agreed to do” forms the foundation of contract law.

·         “Do not encroach on other persons or their property” lays the groundwork for criminal law and tort law, covering harm, theft, and interference.

Maybury argues that the more a society honors these laws, the more order and prosperity it enjoys. The more it violates them, the more chaos and conflict arise.

In all his years of writing and speaking about these principles, he claims no one has ever disagreed with them. And if you ever do meet someone who does, he suggests asking them this simple question:

“Would you like to live in a world where these laws are not obeyed?”

Food for Thought
Now I have a couple of questions for you, my readers:

·         Can you think of any issue, crime, or dispute that doesn’t fall under one of these two laws?

·         Wouldn’t life be simpler if, instead of endless laws, rules, and red tape, judges and courts focused on whether these two principles had been broken—and ruled accordingly?

For more on Richard Maybury and his insightful writing, just search his name online. His book Whatever Happened to Justice? is an easy read, yet packed with timeless wisdom.

In a world that seems more divided and disordered each day, maybe—just maybe—returning to these two simple laws could help us find a way forward.