What happened to common sense?

Try this to gain some.

Shutterstock: mypokcik

I remember a friend’s husband telling their kids, “stop and think.” He started doing this when their boys were small, helping them engage in a process of making decisions that few people use today. Stop and think.

I have a friend in her 60’s who is often ridiculed by her family over choices she has made and continues to make. From her perspective they pick on her. This may be true. I don’t know, I’m not in that family circle, but I am here to listen when her heart is breaking over something they have done or said to her. When it gets right down to it, she leaves herself wide open for them to attack her. She lacks common sense on when and how much personal information to share. When they find out certain choices she’s made, it’s another thing they add to the long list they seem to be keeping on her. Wouldn’t common sense tell her to shut up? Why would she share choices and decisions she knows would spark controversy, or a negative response from her family? If she had learned to “stop and think,” her family would have less ammunition to hurt her.

John Staughton writes this as one idea to strengthen common sense in his article, What is Common Sense…Really?” Think before you speak — A lack of common sense often manifests itself when you speak before you think or when you have trouble listening to others. Slow down and avoid making hasty decisions or speaking too quickly; patience can help you avoid many verbal gaffes.

I was raised on a farm in rural Minnesota. My mom and dad were hardworking farmers with six kids. Common sense came with that scenario. We haven’t all made the best choices, (especially me!) but we all figured out sooner or later how to navigate the world by employing something like this adage of “stop and think.”

Is the lack of the valuable resource of common sense the reason people overspend on the holidays, eat too much, send explicit pictures of themselves, or go out driving in a blizzard or tornado? I think so. What happened to “stop and think?” Surely, if my friend, or anyone, had taken a few minutes reflecting on this, the result would be different.

We are not born with common sense. This is acquired over time through our life journey. Parents taught us some skills to use it, or they didn’t. Teachers, preachers, or others have modeled it, or they didn’t. I’m imploring my friend to use the technique of “stop and think” more. When doing this, she is teaching herself common sense. While I’m reminding her, I’m reminding myself to also do more of the same.