Tuesday, June 06, 2006

The Sad Passing of Common Sense

Common senseWe 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.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

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

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him pass this on. If not join the majority and do nothing.

Thanks Phyllis

3 comments:

MyIdea1 said...

Extreme liberals will tell you you're nuts and extreme conseveratives will steal it, twist it to their objectives, and call it theirs. But it is yours, and you are right on target. In my opinion, the death of "common sense" began when people started demanding that everyone else live their lives by the standards they set. Unfortunately, we gave into them and the death of common sense is the results. Thanks for publishing this. I intend to link my blog site to this.

Oldman

Trent Williams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trent Williams said...

I actually did hear of his passing... very sad indeed.

The good thing? I believe in resurrection!

Thanks for the online version (so I can link to it!),

-Trent