If you, like me, have been nearly driven to fits of hair tearing and teeth gnashing over the growing amount of OUTRAGE! being exhibited by the social media-lites these past few days, you might think that today’s thanks-worthy subject is a figment of my imagination. It is rare, but it’s real.
Today, I am thankful for Common Sense.
Common sense empowers the brilliant and rational and pragmatic people I am lucky to call friends and family.
These are the folks who don’t concern themselves with the color of our coffee cups, although I will tell you that I have a strong preference for something handmade in the US, usually by an artist whom I’ve met personally.
They appreciate and accept any exclamation of good wishes, regardless of the exact wording. If it’s heartfelt and said with a smile, that’s perfect.
They have good intentions toward the world and expect the world will reflect good back on them. On the occasion when that doesn’t happen, they don’t take offense; they move on.
What’s wrong with us? Why don’t we care enough about the (insert cause of the moment) to fight for/against it? How can we just ignore the fact that stores are displaying pagan symbols, our neighbors have a pure-bred dog, the woman at the bank called someone “Sweetie?” Don’t we have any sense of political correctness? (To be politically incorrect, if you like to play the PC card on every draw, I guess I wouldn’t call that political correctness – I’d call it self-righteousness . . . but that’s probably for another day.)
Common sense does not take us out of the game. It is the internal referee that allows for a well-played and fair match.
Common sense allows us to analyze situations, propositions, and comments and differentiate between a CRISIS and a nuisance, a WAR and a slight, an INSULT and a colloquial greeting, and, with clear conscience and efficiency, toss much of what the non-common-sensers would have us setting our hair on fire about into the “no big deal” heap and get on with enjoying our day.
Common sense makes life easier. It makes it more enjoyable. It enables us to be polite. It lets us be peaceful and peaceable.
Not everything is a drama. We should remember that and next time some director (internal or external) is asking us to play it Stella! Hey, Stella! ,ask ourselves whether the scene is more evocative of Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk!
I don’t want to (pratt) fall for media shenanigans, so thank you, common sense, for keeping my balance.
p.s. The writer does not condone nor is she advocating the poking of eyes with two fingers or bopping of heads with hammers, you Knuckleheads.
Scorched Eyebrow Studio 