Thursday, July 06, 2006
Red, White, and Blue Just Ain't For Flags
Over the July 4th holiday here in good ol' Memphis, Tennessee, I watched some pretty awesome fireworks -- the first in about 12 years. I was completely amazed at some of the effects. I like the usual starry/flowery explosions, but I was quite taken with the ones that blew out rings and hearts. One missile even exploded in a set of three rings that looked like an atomic model. I guess I've been out of touch. This doesn't surprise me.
Monday, July 03, 2006
What Makes Sense?
It is Experience
The quality of our words and deeds are measured with what we like to call "Common Sense." It should be just that -- common and sensible. It should be straightforward, clear, and meaningful. There should be no ambiguity at all.
Most times the sensible things are learnt by our experiences, because there is no better teacher than life itself. It doesn't take too long for a human to understand the damaging effects of fire, just as it doesn't take us very long to know when someone is truthful or dishonest.
It is Painful
It is easy enough to say that a child learns all about the concept of "hot" when they inadvertantly stick their hand in hot water or touch a flame. This is most definitely the easiest way to learn some common sense: pain. When we grow up the learning becomes more difficult because the things that make sense become more abstract. How, for instance, can one learn through physical pain the sensible argument that lying is a bad thing to do? Worse, how do we know when a lie can sometimes be better than the truth? We don't have clear-cut mechanisms which cause us immediate pain when we commit the terrible act of lying.
But pain can come to us in different ways, and we come to know other forms of pain as we stumble through life, doing one dumb thing after another.
The one thing which then separates us into categories of good and bad is the way we learn from these pains. Either we continue to do the dumb things and find ways to alleviate the suffering, or we add the experiences to our pool of common sense knowledge and get a little bit smarter.
It is Not Universal
It can be said, then, that we who are "good" will fall into other categories of goodness. This happens as our beliefs and actions are judged by others against their common sense values. Some people will believe you to be honest but others deceitful. Some may regard you as wise, whereas others will think you to be ignorant.
Therefore, we can say that there is no clear-cut universal definition of common sense. You cannot please everyone, nor can you be everyone's arch nemesis. You cannot be sensible to all, as you cannot be everyone's picture of a loser.
It is Personal
The time comes when you and I must decide who we live for. At this point, common sense applies only in relation to that person, ideal, or deity. Does it makes sense to you to commit people under your care to certain death? Does it make sense to live in a gutter? Does it make sense to slowly kill yourself through alcohol? Does it make sense to fall in love with someone, spend time with them, and then go back to your spouse and commit yourself to silence?
These things depend upon your experiences and your reasons for living. You should be happy to know that most people share the same common sense on things that really matter. You should also have the sense to know that there are some people who should stay far away from you. You should also have the sense to know the consequences of your words and deeds.
In the end, it comes back to you, and only you. This is conscience. This is what some people like to call karma. It's all you, baby.
The quality of our words and deeds are measured with what we like to call "Common Sense." It should be just that -- common and sensible. It should be straightforward, clear, and meaningful. There should be no ambiguity at all.
Most times the sensible things are learnt by our experiences, because there is no better teacher than life itself. It doesn't take too long for a human to understand the damaging effects of fire, just as it doesn't take us very long to know when someone is truthful or dishonest.
It is Painful
It is easy enough to say that a child learns all about the concept of "hot" when they inadvertantly stick their hand in hot water or touch a flame. This is most definitely the easiest way to learn some common sense: pain. When we grow up the learning becomes more difficult because the things that make sense become more abstract. How, for instance, can one learn through physical pain the sensible argument that lying is a bad thing to do? Worse, how do we know when a lie can sometimes be better than the truth? We don't have clear-cut mechanisms which cause us immediate pain when we commit the terrible act of lying.
But pain can come to us in different ways, and we come to know other forms of pain as we stumble through life, doing one dumb thing after another.
The one thing which then separates us into categories of good and bad is the way we learn from these pains. Either we continue to do the dumb things and find ways to alleviate the suffering, or we add the experiences to our pool of common sense knowledge and get a little bit smarter.
It is Not Universal
It can be said, then, that we who are "good" will fall into other categories of goodness. This happens as our beliefs and actions are judged by others against their common sense values. Some people will believe you to be honest but others deceitful. Some may regard you as wise, whereas others will think you to be ignorant.
Therefore, we can say that there is no clear-cut universal definition of common sense. You cannot please everyone, nor can you be everyone's arch nemesis. You cannot be sensible to all, as you cannot be everyone's picture of a loser.
It is Personal
The time comes when you and I must decide who we live for. At this point, common sense applies only in relation to that person, ideal, or deity. Does it makes sense to you to commit people under your care to certain death? Does it make sense to live in a gutter? Does it make sense to slowly kill yourself through alcohol? Does it make sense to fall in love with someone, spend time with them, and then go back to your spouse and commit yourself to silence?
These things depend upon your experiences and your reasons for living. You should be happy to know that most people share the same common sense on things that really matter. You should also have the sense to know that there are some people who should stay far away from you. You should also have the sense to know the consequences of your words and deeds.
In the end, it comes back to you, and only you. This is conscience. This is what some people like to call karma. It's all you, baby.
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