Common Sense
New -- 22 August 2004
Common sense is no rare that it's almost an endangered species. I suspect it was once rather common, but the glories of indoctrinated modern education has pretty well squelched that. This is because so much of the system is so crazy, so nonsensical that it is virtually impossible to survive in it without attempting to follow the rules, no matter how maddeningly insane they may appear.
When common sense is applied to modern life, the most amazing aspect is that most of the problems of life can be solved in a straight-forward way, but for reasons of politics, vested interests, and just sheer control-freak attitudes of various authorities, there is little chance of most solutions ever seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
One shouldn't, perhaps, be too hard to education and its attempt to brainwash the young minds, making them fit the mold of corporate usefulness. There is also religion with its eagerness to serve as the controlling tool of altogether too many people. The fundamental fact is that religion flies in the face of common sense.
For example, Friedrich Nietzxche has noted, "I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time." One can even question why any allegedly omnipotent, omniscience, creator of the universe God would have any interest whatsoever of being worshiped, praised, or sacrificed for. It just doesn't make sense! As Sir Arthur Helps advised, "Never make a god of your religion." [1]
Common sense is instead, ideally, a way of looking at the world with clear eyes and without the inevitable veil or curtain between oneself and the truth. It's seeing with child eyes and thereafter paying attention to the man behind the curtain (as in the Wizard of Oz). It's the recognition that virtually anything any politician ever says is just so much balderdash. Taking such utterings seriously is the height of humor-mongering.
Speaking of which, there is an intimate connection between common sense and humor. I suspect the reason for this is that humor requires a rapid chance of pace, a sudden reversal, an unexpected turn to make the funny bone activate. Since applied common sense is similarly unexpected, we find most obviously astute observations to be funny.
For example:
You cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.
No matter how much I care, some people are just jackasses.
It takes years to build up trust, but it only takes suspicion -- not proof -- to destroy it.
Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
You should never compare yourself to others. They are far more screwed up than you might think.
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
You can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
99% of the time when something isn't working in your house, one of the kids did it.
The people you care most about in life are taken from you all too soon, and all the less important ones seem to just never go away. The real pains in the ass are permanent.
There is a fine line between genius and insanity.
See what I mean? Makes total sense. ________________________
References:
[1] Taken from "Sunbeams", The Sun (magazine), #231, March 1995.
Synthesis Communications, Education, Health Inter Net
Emergence of a Species Mind
Or forward to:
Education Language Groupies
|