THE PASSING OF COMMON SENSE

 

In the Obituary Column of a well-known newspaper, the following was written mourning the passing of a beloved friend:
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was because efforts to find his birth records were fruitless as they had long been lost in bureaucratic red tape.

Our dear friend, Common Sense, will ever 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.
• Maybe it was my fault!

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

• 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 thy self.
• Don’t spend more than you earn.
• Save the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
• 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 doing the job they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children, and 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 your own property and yourself from a burglar in your home, 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, and by his wife Discretion, by his daughter Responsibility, and by his son Reason.

He is survived by his four cousins:

• 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.