Have you noticed that common sense is far from common? Have you noticed that most people have no sense whatsoever, common or otherwise? Have you noticed that people don't seem to know how to think independently and asking someone to use their brain seems to be stretching them to the absolute limit? I mean seriously, is asking a teenager to pick up the trash they just threw on the ground, or an adult to respect the space of others and not talk on their phone during a movie, or even a child to obey the directions of an adult, are those really such unreasonable requests? Have you noticed that manners are irrelevant? Innocence is frowned upon, and respect is only valued when its directed at self? Ok… those were a bit out there. I’m thinking more about silly warning signs and labels and people doing stupid things and than blaming others. Anyway…. What kind of a world are we shaping?
By the very nature of the name “common sense” it should be quite common. But is it? It sense common? I would think that common sense would include things like not walking outside during a lightening storm, recognizing that hot coffee is hot (and it’s your fault if you burn your tongue), not letting your child dive in to a 3 foot deep pool, and being able to walk up a public stair case without a sign warning you that you could fall? Do we really need to be warned of such grave dangers? Personally, I don’t think it’s a manufactures job to warn me that a sharp object could hurt me if I acted stupidly with it. Wow. Talk about passing the buck. If I hurt myself with a object that you made, it’s your fault. That makes sense…
Right now we live in a world where our MacDonald’s coffee is labeled “hot”, our clothing has suffocation warning tags, and lawn darts and pool sticks are illegal. It seems common sense (and the ability to accept personal responsibility for our actions) is neither taught nor valued.
Why is it that the very elements that have structured society for the past thousands years, are suddenly no longer relevant? Respect, honor, chivalry, common decency, faith, obedience, recognizing the value of our elders, seeing children as precious blessings, or even just leaving a space better than you found it because the earth is a thing worth preserving (why we don’t observe this one more in our current “go green” society I can’t figure out), all these features are treated as irrelevant to our modern lives. As if suddenly reaching the 2000 A.D.E. mark means that all the hallmarks of acceptable human behavior suddenly get thrown out.
I wonder where it started. Which was the first generation to decide to throw out common manners and be a generation of unthinking, uncaring, sort of irresponsible people? Now, most likely, whichever the unfortunate generation was, they most likely didn’t think all that out, but nonetheless, that’s what they (however unknowingly) did. The Victorian era still had manners and common civility. Even if you hated someone’s guts, you still greeted them with respectful salutations, bowed or curtseyed according to your gender, and if you really couldn’t stand to be cordial, you walked away or declined invitations to places where you new such people would frequent. Now a days, if there is someone you don’t care for, you either tell them to their face, tell all your friends about them so it will eventually get through the grapevine, or you just go right up and post something on a social networking site. There isn’t even any pretending to have respect. Now, I’m sure some of you will say that a honest society where we can truthfully voice our opinions about people, life, and everything is a better thing than a society where everyone feigns respect because it’s “the right thing to do”. Yes, this kind of community would lead to many false greetings, and empty bows, but let’s be real, everyone knew who liked who and which person was the bane of existence whether it was publically broadcasted or not. The turn of the century started a new way of thinking and the industrial revolution changed the workplace forever, but the traditional ideals still held strong. Somewhere between the 1940s and 50s something changed in American society and common sense was never the same again.
It seems to me that even if you were the most selfish of creatures, you would still want to treat others with at least a smidge of kindness because if you give it, you most likely will receive it. Maybe most selfish people also don’t like to use problem solving thinking skills. Hm. Good to know. Why did parents stop teaching their children to think before they speak? Why aren’t children taught how to problem solve or how to obey? Why don’t people use their brains?
Galileo Galilee Said “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” (he also could have said... Go made you smart enough to know that you never put your pet in a electrical appliance! goodness peoples really?!)
I am quite tempted to agree with him. God gave us brains. God made a world with lots of potential for wonderful questions and plenty of opportunities to use our brains. God made cliffs, but he didn’t post danger signs. Our world has problems, but we shouldn’t need warning labels and rules for every little thing. We are humans. We have brains. We can choose to use them. We can choose to be the uncommon ones and use our brains! Think independently! Be a useful human! Hooray!
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