Uncommon Sense

I noticed a sticker on the big, foldable sunshield I use in the windshield of my truck while it is parked. The warning label states: “Warning: Do not drive with sunshade in place.” Since common sense tells me that driving with the sunshield in place would interfere with my vision, it would be pretty stupid to do so.  The printing and installation of the label costs the manufacturer, so either the manufacturer has experience with people attempting to drive with the sunshield in place or the manufacturer’s lawyers, assuming that people will be stupid, required the label in an attempt to avoid litigation. 

If you look around, you will see many similar warning labels.  “Warning: May cause drowsiness” on the package for a sleep aid, “This product not intended for use as a dental drill” in the instruction manual for a rotary power tool, “Do not spray in eyes” on glass cleaner, “No smoking” on a gasoline pump. All of these warnings should be intuitively obvious to someone with common sense.  Are these warning labels there to protect a small segment of the population or is a lack of common sense rampant in our society?  Based on the number of people I observe daily who drive while reading, texting, or performing other equally distracting actions, all of which common sense should tell them not to do, a lack of common sense is widespread. You may believe you can drive safely while texting but the rest of us beg to differ.

During a drive to a recent Scout camping trip, my son was reading aloud a collection of quotes. Most of the quotes were ostensibly geared towards teenage male humor because the three teenage boys were in tears from laughter, while I chuckled only occasionally.  However, one quote really caught everyone’s attention.  “Common sense is so rare; it should be classified as a super power.”

Wow! That stopped the laughter and brought about a conversation on common sense.  What I gathered from the conversation is they believe a lack of common sense is characterized by “people doing stupid things” and common sense is “people doing smart things.”  Not bad for teenagers, given the definition in the dictionary is “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.”

Sounds good, but what does it really mean?  Based on the definitions of judgment and perception, it means making a sound decision based on a simple understanding of the world around you.  Karl Albrecht, in his book, Practical Intelligence: The Art and Science of Common Sense, defines common sense as “the mental ability to cope with the challenges and opportunities of life".

Common sense requires a perception of the facts and situation grounded in reality, not your perception of reality. We all have equal access to common sense.  Common sense shouldn’t be uncommon. Don’t rely on the warning on a sticker to keep you safe. Exercise your super powers; engage your brain, observe the real situation and facts, not the situation and facts as you want them to be, and then act.