common sense?

I often hear people critcize or dismiss other’s ideas by labeling it as “common sense.” Common sense indicates that the majority of people intuitively understand and already “know” the information that is being presented. And this fact of knowing indirectly asserts that the information is somehow less valuable because it’s “common” and therefore a commodity. So labeling something as common sense carries a deragatory connotation… but herein lies the irony:

Common Sense does not equal Uncommon Success…

Knowing and doing are two completely different things. Yes, it’s true that we all know many, many things. We may intellectually understand and often agree on a vast amount of knowledge about ourselves and about our world. But equally true is that most people do not DO what they know. This is not a judgement, but a statistical reality. Generally speaking, most people are not successful at applying the knowledge that is available to them. Proclaiming something as common sense seems to become a defense mechanism people employ to manage their disappointment around their lack of productive activity. Uncommon success in any area of life requires taking common sense on the road. It’s not enough to know something or to simply talk about something. You have to do something and make things happen for the common to become uncommon.

Smoking is an obvious, yet powerful example. No one will argue that smoking is hazardous for the health of the human body. It causes disease and people die from it everyday. We can call this common sense because everybody knows it. Yet millions still smoke despite this common knowledge. So what do we call common sense that is unacted upon? The norm… unfortunately. History proves that the most profound wisdom and universal truths are simple to understand but difficult to implement. Identifying something as common sense then is the beginning, not the end.

“Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18.” – Albert Einstein

Of course what some call common sense, others call crazy. It becomes a matter of perspective based on one’s social, cultural and educational background. So maybe we could benefit from re-learning some universal “common sense” principles that affect our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. But more importantly, maybe we can then learn to apply some of this knowledge and information to improve not only our own lives, but the lives of those around us. Sounds like common sense to me…

©2008 Tom Leu