GOODBYE COMMON SENSE

This email, which did the rounds a few years ago, had quite a few people nodding in agreement with its contents. The fact that nowadays, much of the common sense we all grew up with, has been replaced with a new version which has been hatched by faceless bureaucrats and thrust upon all of us and is a real cause for concern.

For instance, common sense tells me to respect policemen at all times and to obey them with the same deference being shown to school teachers and adults in general. Elderly people require patience, politeness and help, even if they don’t specifically request it. Giving up your seat on the bus or train to a lady or older gentleman goes without saying, as is saying please and thank you. Sadly though, the new way is to demand your own way, to let everyone know that you have rights and to treat others as if they are there for the specific pleasure of doing your bidding.

This tribute to good old-fashioned common sense is sad because it points to a time when things were better, when caring adults were in charge and we were taught the value of politeness, good manners and the difference between right and wrong, when all of us knew our place in society and when common sense was just that – common!

GOODBYE OLD FRIEND

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

• Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
• Why the early bird gets the worm;
• Life isn’t always fair;
• And maybe it was my fault.

Our friend, Common Sense lived by simple and reliable approaches to life including sound financial policies, such as:

• Don’t spend more than you earn.
• Save the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
• The Holy Scriptures contain all we need for instruction on how to live and treat our fellow human beings.
• Jesus is the one we should love and serve above all else.
• Love thy neighbour as thyself.
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when overbearing regulations were set in place. For example:

• A Teacher was dismissed from her post for reprimanding an unruly student.
• A Head Teacher was sacked after physically intervening in a classroom brawl that had got out of control and threatened the very lives and safety of other students.
• A young boy was left to drown in a pond because the authorities who attended the tragedy were not allowed to enter the water to attempt to save him because no-one had undergone water rescue training.

Common Sense lost even more ground when parents attacked teachers for not doing the job they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted an abortion!

Common Sense battled with the will to live as Churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Another beating was in store for our friend when it was announced that you had no right to defend yourself from a burglar in your own home, even if the burglar was carrying a weapon, and that the burglar could sue you for assault if you even dared to touch him.

Common Sense finally gave up after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee she paid for was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and sued the company she had bought the coffee from and was awarded a huge settlement.

It is a little-known fact that Common Sense was preceded in death by:

• His parents –  Truth and Trust
• His wife – Discretion
• His daughter – Responsibility
• And finally, his son – Reason

He is survived by his 4 step-brothers:

• I know my rights!
• I want it now!
• It is not my fault!
• I am a victim!

Sadly, not many attended his funeral service nor the grave side because, as it turns out, so few realised he was gone.

For those wishing to be more specific, the meaning of Common Sense is: A basic ability to perceive, understand and judge things, which is shared by, or common to, all people, and can be reasonably expected of all people without any need for debate.

I am convinced that, despite the contents of this obituary, there are many who mourn the passing of old-fashioned common sense and are acutely aware that there is something wrong with the way we live.

Some have given up thinking about it and are prepared to go with the flow, whilst others are in a state of flux, not knowing where to turn or who to turn to for help and guidance. Parents are worried that their children appear to have little or no conscience and don’t seem to know the difference between right and wrong.

We have to face the fact that there is neither truth, meaning nor purpose in life without an intelligent Creator. A Creator who has placed the ability to perceive, understand and judge things within all humans and who has left us with His Word to read, study and commit to memory.

The Bible, without a shadow of doubt is the only true source of knowledge and because it was inspired by God, it is the FINAL AUTHORITY in all matters of human conduct and spiritual doctrine.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3