Thursday, August 16, 2007

Common Sense

After I posted my last blog I received an influx of emails, and they all had the same refrain, how can I claim Common Sense while writing about such incidents as going over bike handlebars and attempting to fly? I am here to answer that question.

First I should address the question of what is Common Sense? Merriam-Webster defines it as “Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.” Well clearly I possess the ability to assess a situation and make rational decisions based on my findings. I proved that just last weekend when I got in a cab instead of fighting 11 homeless punks with a superiority complex. I could have given them the tirade of their lifetimes, putting them directly in their place, before being pummeled into salsa, but I did not. I deemed it imprudent. That alone shows I have Common Sense in my arsenal. You may claim that one example does not prove a theory, but I submit that it does, especially a theory as vague as this one, with no real point to it.

A mistake commonly made is when people project their own feelings of morality or prudence on others. I do this myself on occasion, but I am in the unique position of often being Right (apolitically of course). Far too frequently I witness people making judgments based solely on their own views (this is called closedmindedness, and I won’t listen to anybody who tells me different). To truly pass judgment unbiased one must be immersed in that which they judge. It’s not fair for a homeless punk to think he’s better than me just because I don’t know how tough you have to be to live on the streets, because I couldn’t care less. He was judging me from his own perspective, unable to put himself in my shoes, because he clearly couldn’t afford them.

Let’s try another example. All the emails I received about not having Common Sense because I went over my handlebars were guilty of biased judgment. I was unfairly condemned as lacking Sense because careening down a hill through the murky darkness of a moonless night on a bike with no back brakes while chatting on a cell phone may seem to the layman as imprudent, but for somebody who can not die it really is quite safe. Ok, it’s not necessarily safe. I’ve proved I’m immortal, not invincible, but I have also shown on numerous occasions that I’m made of rubber, much like a baby’s head, and virtually proved that theory when I bounced down the road with nary a scratch or bruise. A mortal being consisting of flesh and bone may not be able to conceive the relative safety of tumbling down a paved road at twenty km/h, but that is simply because they are in fact mortal flesh and bone. Another human rubber ball could read about that incident and think nothing of it. It wouldn’t even occur to them to question my Common Sense. So who would be Right? They both would be, from their own perspective.

So you see, Common Sense is about relativity. Contrary to its name there is nothing common about it. It’s different for every person. Could it then be said that everybody possesses Common Sense in relation to their own circumstances? No. Some people are just morons. That’s why they created The Darwin Awards.
http://www.darwinawards.com/

So to recap:

1. Common Sense is about relativity
2. Judge not lest ye be judged.
3. Closedmindedness is a word.
4. Fun things that seem stupid to other people are still fun.

Ergo,
5. I am still a 4 out of 5 for Common Sense.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well Sir, I applaude you. It would appear that you have found your groove and continually exceed yourself with each new entry. Clap,clap,clap.

Pandemonium

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