In a previous post (“Whatever Happened To Civility?” posted 11/17/20), we dealt with the issue of common courtesy which seems to have fallen by the wayside to a large extent in our society. In a similar vein, where has common sense gone? It seems to have disappeared (excuse me: gone missing).
Parents used to tell their children, “Use a little common sense” to figure something out.
Wikipedia defines it as:
“sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts”.
The Cambridge Dictionary adds, “the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way.” One synonym that struck me is: prevalent. That is certainly not the case in this day and age. On the other hand, one of the antonyms was pretty telling: insanity. It seems we are seeing a lot of what we perceive as just that these days.
“Common” sense is not something that comes from formal education. My mom did not go to college but was a whiz at stretching a dollar and basic common sense decisions.
How is it that much of our society demands what they refer to as “entitlements”? Do they not realize that those came on the backs of people who actually worked? How is it that gender issues are being thrust on 5-year olds when we would never think of throwing geometry or algebra on someone who couldn’t add 2 + 2?
How about some examples of common sense? Well, you can probably come up with some but here are a few:
It’s probably not a good idea to reach into a fire with your bare hand to move the log. Picking up a hot pot off the stove without a pot holder would also qualify. Parents teach some of these things to their children, but others, sadly, are often learned through experience. Do we not know that if we run a red light, there’s a good chance we’ll get in a wreck and hurt ourselves or someone else? There are consequences to our choices. If we took the time to think, we could probably figure that out – and what those consequences might be. Parents: please don’t try to buy privileges for your children or try to prevent repercussions. Instead, teach them deductive reasoning and how to think something through. Ah, there it is! THINK: the action of using one’s mind. Interesting. We’ve often heard that the mind is a terrible thing to waste. Indeed.
So, what can you and I do? Sit around and get frustrated? Well, first of all, Jesus said not to “look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but notice the log in your own.” (Matthew 7:3). We can do this in our own lives and then pray for others to also exercise their minds before jumping in with both feet.
Someone once said, “There are some things that money can’t buy – like manners, morals and intelligence.” Well put.
Wisdom is knowledge applied. One can accumulate all sorts of knowledge, but not using it is like receiving a gift you never open. Apply knowledge to circumstances, to life. Use deductive reasoning and leave agendas out. That just makes sense!
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
“Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.” (Ecclesiastes 10:10b)
Amen! Well said Teri. He’s given us everything we need for this life! We have the mind of Christ!
Over the years, I’ve thought often of my father’s admonition to “Think, Sandra, think.”
Oh my, how many people do we see today that haven’t got a lick of common sense. I guess that’s because we don’t need it. We have Google. How sad is that?
Common sense is just NOT SO COMMON anymore!