What is Common Sense?

Blog #1: Well, here goes. A new venture. Into the great unknown blogosphere. I will blog about "Common Sense." Or should I say UNcommon common sense. It seems no one has common sense these days. Common sense is in short supply, but I'm not sure why. It used to be very - well - common. As in, everyone had it. Nowadays, no one seems to have any at all. Where did it go? Did it expire? As in "get used up." Reach a finite ending? Can that happen? I'm not sure. But I am sure that it is gone. There is none. Well, barely any. People just don't seem to have common sense today. I'm talking about enough common sense to even know how to get in out of the rain! All of those people who cannot get themselves in out of the rain are in luck! Because I am going to give you (free of charge!) good, ole fashioned common sense. Yes, I'll let you know when it's raining to come inside. I'll recommend you not stick the end of your pen into a light socket or wall recepticle. I'll advise not to take a short cut across a crowded highway on your bicycle. See? Simple, right? s.Just plain, old fashioned common sense! But I venture to say many will say, "I didn't know you shouldn't do that!" So, you've come to the right place! I'll help you navigate the perils of living in this big, nasty world with no common sense. I didn't say I'd teach you common sense. No. I think that's just too difficult, even for me (who is loaded with common sense!). I will simply give you pearls of wisdom and common sense solutions to life's mysteries, at least they are mysteries to many who lack common sense. Don't fret. It's not your fault! I think common sense took a long vacation, or exited the planet (not sure which), but it's obvious it's gone! To begin, we should probably define what common sense is - for those who didn't know they didn't have any because they simply don't know what it is. According to Webster dictionary, "Common sense is the ability to reach intelligent conclusions and implies a reliable ability to judge and decide with soundness, prudence, and intelligence." So, armed with this understanding of exactly what common sense is, I suppose our next step is to put it into practical use, that is find a time and place to employ it where some now seem not to do so. One such example might be knowing enough not to touch a hot stove, or investigate whether the sign declaing "Wet Paint" is really true. Why do we do that? Do we not believe the sign? Do we believe it is a trick? Or do we think we know better than the sign painter? I can't say. But I'm not sure that's really common sense, or more a sense of curiosity, in which case, you are excused. Lest anyone think I'm insulting your intelligence when I say you lack common sense, let me copy and paste something I found regarding common sense and intelligence: "When you talk about a person's intelligence, you are talking about their ability and capacity to learn and apply new information. Common sense is simply the ability to exercise good, sound judgment in practical situations. Education and training do not influence common sense." See? Not the same thing at all. Common sense has no connection to how intelligent you are, or how much education you have. It is a different breed of cat altogether. With those few facts tucked away in your brain for rumination at a later date (when the rain has halted your cable connection), I will continue this missive on common sense and then give further insights into ways to strengthen your ability to possess common sense in subsequent blog posts. Make it a great day, and remain vigilant so as not to venture out into the rain without an umbrella!