Understanding common sense

There is always something unique about common sense. The more you try to understand it, the more you are confused, and things seem to be back to square one. Well, this need not be so, and what we need is some insight into what it means and what it does not,and why.

Let me elaborate. Take our own lives. It is common sense that we are all born equal, but it is also common sense that we are also not equal in everything. Imagine, you were born in a family of seven, with the father being (in those days) a post-master in a small village. What is different between you and onother person, who was born on the very same day, as the only son of parents -- the father being an industrialist with a net worth of one hundred crores?

Yes, it is wealth that makes so much of a difference. If it is a balanced family, where the value of money is taught from day one -- this happens in several families -- chances are that the son would inherit his father's empire and also prove a good owner-manager, assuming he has had some basic education, at least upto graduation. So, this common sense should lead us to the next thing -- there are three things that are beyond one's control -- one is birth, another is death, and the third one is very controversial -- marriage. People say the person you get to marry is totally beyond your control. However, I really do not know how to interpret this thing.

So, if we take away these three things, we all have 24 hours of each day to make a difference -- doing something to the best of one's ability, and making a big difference.

Applying common sense means making the best of any set of circumstances, by completely understanding what is very obvious, about these circumstances. What we need to understand is that our response to these given set of circumstances, would largely depend on what we want, why we want it, and how we want it.

For example, if you are a graduate with a good English medium background, chances are, you will get a good call centre job. All you need to assess is: whould the job be to my liking? Am I really cut out for it? What alternatives do I have? Is the job so important to me, at this stage? What sort of a person am I?

Just answer one question. Say, you need the job because your just retired father is not too well, and your mother is a house wife. You have two sisters who need to get married. You really do not have much of a choice. Doing a post-graduation might be costly, and your father's health is your first priority.

Go ahead, but remember, upgrading your skills will do you a world of good. Pick a part-time MCA, improve your English to world-class standards, and try for something high-end IT job, two years down the line. So, you have just understood all implications of a particular line of action.

Unfortunately, we are all victims of some set of circumstances. The boss is a problem, or we are in dead-end job, where we are never our natural selves, and where we do not get to maximise our natural potential. If so, do something different. If you are a good singer, get into some orchestra in your immediate neighbour. If you have a taste for photography, go ahead and shoot, at least in some weddings of your friends and relatives. Keep yourself engaged. So, common sense is trying to maximise what you can best do, under a given set of circumstances.

You also need to understand that all good times do not last, but tough people do. Once again, common sense tells us that more you are multi-skilled, the better. For example, I had a natural taste for writing. Picking up the skill, I have now published over two hundred articles in business newspapers and magazines, mostly on HR and Management topics. Iam also a vising Faculty Member to several B-schools, since I knew I had a taste for teaching.

Common sense should also tell each of us, what is very important in life. For example, if you have school going children -- mark my words. An excellent command over written and spoken English is an absolute must. So is the child's ability to interpret events and trends around him. He or she should develop a very good understanding of all that is good in terms of skills -- for instance, put the child through the best of IT courses even when he or she is just in standard nine or ten. Get him to own a computer at home. So, an English medium education, preferably in a huge metropolis, is a must.

Well, the most obvious question: money. Yes, money makes a huge difference, but money alone is meaningless. Emotions and feelings are just too important for a good family life. Read up books on emotional intelligence, and you will understand the difference. It is common sense that we should develop a good balance between needs and wants, to be really happy.

So, while common sense is so common, trying to react to any set of given circumstances is the only common denominator. This is the ultimate common sense lesson that we should all learn, wherever we are, and whatever we are. Hence, go ahead and lead a good life, based on sound common sense.

Technorati Tags: Art of Living

Vote Result

Score: 8.0, Votes: 2