Is Common Sense Common Among Human Beings?
By Theresa Elaine Keves – December 2023
A dear friend of mine, Ms. Eleanor Morris, (A/K/A Mama /Eleanor) who is now with Our Lord and Savior, was an elder whom I admired and respected. She was was filled with a lot of Wisdom which equated to a lot of teachable moments for me particularly during our conversation. Well, a while back, she asked me this question, do I think Common Sense is common? As I actually pondered for a brief moment to gather my thoughts, I responded to her by saying, if this was something that human beings were inherently equipped with; and/or was taught how to use Common Sense, in their primary years, would the world be a better place? And, just why is Common Sense so UnCommon in our Society?
So, I said to my friend, please allow me to do some research about this question; because I do find it to be a very interesting question, as I have not been asked this question before. Also, I wanted to understand more about Common Sense for my own edification. I started by researching for the true meaning in a dictionary, such as Merriam-Webster Dictionary to assist me with my thought process, for better edifying myself regarding this question. Well, in part the Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that Common Sense is sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. I take this as, an individual would use a bit of their time to also invoke some evaluation and succinctness in their thought process, before presenting their response to a question being asked of them by another individual or should they find themselves searching for what the best methodology is to apply to resolve an issue expeditiously as possible.
Wikipedia.org states that it is different from person to person and may not be employed even when many editors could agree on what it is in a particular situation. In my further research regarding this topic, I feel that it is important to note that, It is sometimes said among individuals that common sense is very rare. Quora.com states that Common Sense is the ability of a person to think about things in a rational manner and make decisions accordingly. And yes, it is uncommon because people don’t generally think about things from the ground level. Their benefits are superficial and their approach towards various circumstances and life is impractical.
So, within a day, after gathering my thoughts, I again contacted my dear friend Mama Eleanor regarding this question about Common Sense that she asked me and I started by saying that, first of all, I am thinking that human beings would hopefully, during their thought processes, as they are engaged in a situation that needs resolving expeditiously, for example, that they would bring to the conscious mind, the tool of Common Sense; which would initially and immediately start allowing the conscious mind to use the best tools in situations for resolving purposes, (if they are equipped with this phenomenon of common sense thinking) on a daily basis, throughout their lives.
My thinking is should Common Sense be common in our globalized society, for example, whether one would use past life experiences or present life experiences as a tracker of thought, I personally think, that society would not engage in such violent acts, such as murders, wars, drugs, haphazardly destroying our ecology, dishonest tactics and other dark and demented behaviors, that are being reported, consistently via our news media. Common Sense individuals would automatically know, that just by simply knowing the importance of loving ourselves, respecting ourselves and one another, that the outcome of its use, would be extremely beneficial. And, furthermore, individuals would realize the importance of using Common Sense along with knowing the benefits that it plays in our lives, its use would be the epicenter of our minds thought patterns on a consistent basis in our lives.
If Common Sense were common among our globalized society, just imagine the peace and serenity, we would have daily, as we relate to one another. The world would be a better place to live in. As I explained my take on Common Sense to her, she thought I explained it very well. Mama Eleanor was a smart lady; and, she often presented to me, what I refer to as food for thought, that would benefit my life, as she was a good teacher of practicable thinking. I welcomed those conversations; and, I was inspired by her teachable moments, which ultimately inspired me to teach others practical things that can be used prosperously throughout their lives; and, in hopes that this will create a cyclical life process of passing down Common Sense thinking to upcoming generations.
So now, reader, I poise the question to you, “Do You Think Common Sense is Common.”