Common Sense: If It Was More People Would Have It

Every day I seem to witness more acts that fly in the face of what, when I was growing up, was called "just good old common sense". It was expected that, by instruction or experience, we would learn to apply common sense in our daily lives. It was not that expertise was not needed, law and medicine come to mind (more on that later), but for most of life's transactions we could apply our native intelligence and ability to deal with them effectively. On February 14, 1776, Thomas Paine made his case for the Colonies' freedom by appealing to his fellow citizens' Common Sense. Over 200 years later Daniel de Souza decries The Death of Common Sense. What happened? Has life become so complicated we are afraid to act without the guidance of an "expert"? Have we become so self-actualized (or so selfish) there is no "common" sense anymore, only our individual sense.

This is not intended to be a psychological or sociological exploration. It is simply a call (a cry, perhaps) for a return of common sense. I see people with that "deer in the headlights" look when confronted with the simplest of choices: paper or plastic? regular or diet? 2% or skim? Anything more complicated and they are either frozen in indecision or immediately plagued with buyer's remorse. Have even the most modest of choices we are asked to make become so complicated that we can't move without consulting an expert? How many experts do we need? And how are we to choose from among the many competing experts views? Don't these experts have a vested interest in our confusion? Wouldn't they be out of work if we could decide for ourselves?

Can "common sense" really guide us in our personal lives? relationships? work? YES. The regular exercise and application of common sense can make the daily grind more tolerable, even enjoyable. We can take greater control over what we do and respond more effectively to what is done to us.

Common Sense is as much about attitude as it is intellect. What follows will be ruminations, observations, and random thoughts on the subject of common sense and how the world might be a better place if we experienced more of it.

Stay tuned. Let me know what you think.