THE SAD PASSING OF COMMON SENSE
To-day we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will 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 maybe it was my fault.
Common sense lived by sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), and reliable parenting strategies (adults and 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 being charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and teachers being fired for reprimanding unruly students only worsened his condition.
Common sense lost ground when parents ceased disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer paracetamol, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student but they were prohibited from informing the parents when a student got pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, 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 for assault.
His condition worsened when it became obvious that nobody is responsible for what they do but we are all responsible for what somebody else did generations ago, where a baby born into the world automatically has pre-existing grievances against another baby born at the same time because of what ancestors allegedly did centuries ago, and where those who call for equal rights for all citizens (“One Law For All”) are damned as “racists”.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to recognise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a large settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility, and his son, Reason. He is survived by three step-brothers, “I know my Rights”, “Someone Else is to Blame”, and “I am a Victim”. Not many attended his funeral because so few realised that he was gone.