The Death of Common Sense

Growing up on a farm, we were taught to use our head, to think through a problem, then solve it. We didn’t call 911, or try to find a Triple A service, we figured it out. We didn’t have cell phones or access to a real phone. You learned really quick to be prepared. If it was winter time, you dressed warmly with lots of layers. You didn’t leave home without the right gear. If there was ice or snow, you kept a shovel, snow chains, sand or salt, and extra warm gear in the truck or car along with water and a non-perishable food item. You knew to wear cleated boots and not dress shoes if you went out. If the roads were bad and you had to go out, you drove slowly. If the weather was hot, you dressed accordingly; a hat to shade your eyes and keep your nose from being blistered, no sandals or flip flops were allowed, and you always kept water on hand. If you were lucky, your dad would bring you a soda pop and a pack of crackers mid-afternoon. That didn’t happen often though. If something broke, you better have spare parts and tools to fix it, if possible. There were certain things you didn’t leave the shed without; basic tools like screwdrivers, a hammer, adjustable wrenches, pipe wrench, jumper cables, heavy rope or log chain, air tank, duct tape, wire, and allen wrenches. And, you better not leave the shed without topping off the fuel tanks. I could list a hundred other things that I had to be prepared to deal with on a daily basis. But the point is we had to be prepared and have a plan if things went wrong.

Nowadays, very few are well prepared. They depend on Google/internet to tell them how to fix everything. Just YouTube it. It doesn’t matter that a few minutes of prep and planning ahead may have prevented the problem to begin with. We call it common sense, but time, lack of training/education, not going to the school of hard- knocks, and ease of access to all things, has caused us all to rely on someone else to fix our problems; therefore, they never have to figure it out for themselves.

As a kindergarten teacher for a few years, I wanted my students to see the possibilities. Find the things they loved and could be good at. Over the 26 years of my career most of my students never left the county they lived in. I had students who lived 50 miles from the Atlantic Ocean but had never seen it. I brought scraps of lumber, hammer and nails for an out-door play area. When my principal saw it after a couple of weeks, he went off on me. They are going to hurt someone or hurt themselves. City boy! I told him no one had ever died from a mashed thumb or finger and they will only do it once before they figured out how to not do it again. Five-year-olds by nature are not abusive to each other, at least not back then. But being the naïve underling that I was, I removed the center. Once again, big education stepped in to dumb down the populist. Slowly but surely, we have allowed common sense to die.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Common Sense is defined as: “sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence. Good reasoning.” I found 26 synonyms for common sense. Wow 26! How many other words have 26 synonyms? What blew me away was one of the last words, WISDOM. I had to stop and think about that one. Actually, the whole definition threw me.

Biblically, common sense can be a combination of wisdom and discretion. Proverbs 3:21-23 says, “21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; 22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.” Basically, wisdom is knowing what to do and discretion is knowing when and where to do it. The opposite of having wisdom or common sense is being foolish. Proverbs 3:13 and 14 say, “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.” I found innumerable instances of where the Bible teaches us about wisdom, discretion, not being the fool or foolish. Just read the Proverbs.

So, why has common sense died? We have failed to continue what the Bible has taught us. We have stopped using the very tool that God gave our parents, our grandparents, and us. The Bible is the tool that should never be left at “the shed” when we head out to do our daily tasks. The Bible teaches us discernment, avoidance of foolishness, and how to gain wisdom. Let’s help bring common sense back. Get the most important tool we have and put it on top of the toolbox, and refer to it daily, so we never forget what common sense looks like and how to use it.