I know I’m not the only person that goes through different levels of frustration because of people and their lack of common sense. I said years ago that I wanted to write about it, but that never happened. Now that I’m out of my feelings and I’m in the mode of seriously thinking about things, I wonder if the reason it’s not common is because of a lack of reading. Sure the concept seems simple, but the truth is so many people just don’t read. We have become so accustomed to entertainment that we miss out on true encounters. Instead of reading, people choose to believe everything they see on the news (which is designed to be biased based on your political affiliation), clips provided on social media by various sources (trustworthy or not), and even word of mouth (and we know how the telephone game works out). While there are many folks that don’t mind digging deep to figure out truth based on research, the majority pick something and out of convenience and don’t really challenge that. Anyone that has a little knowledge of history is aware that during slavery time it was against the law for slaves to know how to read...why do you think that is? Because information is hidden within the pages of books. Ignorance allows people to be manipulated and ruled without being contested. However, once different ideas and perspectives are presented, questions will eventually arise that present conflict to what was previously believed.
The other side of the coin is that people only read things that align with what they already believe. Granted that’s not something out of the norm, but there should be a level of understanding that if everything aligns with what you already think there’s no way for you to have any growth and development. We grow from learning new things or insight on concepts we already know, but are provided a varying perspective. Exposure is the key!! The more we expose ourselves to, the more open we are in thoughts as well as understanding. This is varying information from people, places, and things that we may never meet or visit. Imagine if you didn’t have biases based on what you were told, but what you learned through research. Personal connection through readings and other media provided designed to promote education of a specific subject. As an adult, this is probably the biggest thing that has caused a rift in my relationship with my father. My perspective is different and it won’t narrow just because his is. But we’ve come to a point where we understand it’s okay to agree to disagree and move on. Thinking for yourself could become common (Imagine a world like that). I’m not out here saying that if everyone picked up a book people wouldn’t appear to be living backwards, but I do think it would open minds to quit accepting foolishness that’s pushed on us everyday. What’s some things you think should be common sense but aren’t?