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I want to pass on to you an obituary, no pun intended, called ‘The Death of Common Sense’.
You may have seen this.
If you haven’t, it’s just extraordinary, and basically it said, “We’re mourning the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for so many years. No one knew for sure how old he was. His birth records were lost long ago on bureaucratic red tape. He’ll 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, of course, ‘maybe it was my fault’, that’s a great lesson.”
Common Sense lived by simple sound financial policies: Don’t spend more than you make; reliable 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; teen 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 have failed to do, and discipline their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer suntan lotion or an aspirin to a student, but couldn’t inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common sense lost the will to live, as the 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 could 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, by his wife, discretion, by his daughter, responsibility, and by his son, reason. He is survived by his four stepbrothers, I know my rights, I want it now, someone else is to blame, and I’m a victim. Not many attended his funeral, because so few realized he was gone. The death of common sense.
Related: What No One Tells You About Being a Financial Advisor