Posted By: Gienie Assink
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“Common Sense… the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.” – C.E. Stone
Today we mourn the passing away of a good and long time friend by name of “Common Sense.”
Common Sense lived a long life but recently died from heart failure at the beginning of the new millennium. No one really knows how old she was since her birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
She selflessly devoted her life to service in homes, schools, hospitals, factories and offices, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and senseless foolishness. For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense.
She was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, the early bird gets the worm, eat your supper, put on your mittens, life isn’t always fair, and when something hits the fan, it never gets distributed equally.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (adults are in charge, not kids), and its okay to come in second (also known as the someone always loses rule).
A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including feminism, body piercing, whole language and new math, but her health declined when she became infected with the “if-it-only-helps-one-person-it’s-worth-it” virus. In recent years her waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal regulation such as the “one objection overrules majority” rule.
She watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers and enlightened auditors. Her health repidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies, reports of a six-year-old charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student.
It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but cannot inform the parent when the female student is pregnant or wants an abortion. One of the last coffin nails was protecting the criminal’s rights while ignoring those of the victims.
Finally, Common Sense lost her will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treament than victims and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports, while staying far away from all matters having to do with politicians unless it meant legislating from the bench.
As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding questionable regulations for asbestos, low flow toilets, smart guns, global warming, speckled owls, the nurturing of prohibitions laws and mandatory air bags, but when told the homeowners association restricted exterior furniture only to that which enhanced property values… she breathed her last.
Common Sense was preceded in death by her parents, Truth and Trust, her husband, Discretion; her daughter, Responsibility; and her son, Reason.
She is survived by three step-brothers: Rights, Tolerance, and Whiner.
Not many attended her funeral because so few realized she was gone. It was too late…
Or is it…?