These were the words which were uttered by Ernie Chen, a motivational trainer whose training I attended a few months ago.
It was not something which we weren't aware of but yet, those words when uttered brought about a sudden realization and led to a reflection plus an injection into the overall perspective of the contemporary world.
I couldn't help but nod my head in agreement without a doubt after the uncountable incidents I have witnessed, gone through and also heard of, not mentioning reading.
A quick definition of common sense
(I decided to make a quick run through Google to find the meaning and this is the list I came up with):
Merriam-Webster : sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts
Answers.com: Sound judgment not based on specialized knowledge; native good judgment
Wikipedia:
- a sense of things being common to other things
- a sense of things common to humanity
Suffice to say, common sense is not something that can be learnt nor can be taught; it's all purely based on the human's natural given senses to make native judgment (unless you are Not human)
Why do we say common sense is DEAD in this world?
Such a strong statement and yet it depicts the truth and the disappointing reality we look at each day.
Take the following situations for examples or a depiction of what I am trying to say here:
Scenario 1:
You are walking to the elevator, and you see the elevator door closing after someone walks in.
Instinctively, you run to the elevator (you don't want to wait for another elevator which may take a few good minutes) and you're like less than a few centimeters away from the door and it CLOSES in your face.
Yeah, it just CLOSED.
Now take note that no matter what shoe you're wearing, you're bound to make that thumping sound when you make that rush to the elevator door; or even your heavy breathing sound or that brushing against the buttons and crisp ironed shirt or the swish swash sounds of your files under your armpit.
You just can't believe how unbelievably close you are to that elevator which only held one person and you're unable to get in!
You start to mutter something under your breath and silently cursed the person who probably or definitely pushed the Close button even though he/she heard you coming and you start to wonder, "What on earth is wrong with them!"
Yeah, that happens and not just to you or me but everyone who has ever taken a elevator definitely has experienced that.
It's not the elevator is fully occupied, then why do those people in it have to have that constant urge to press the close button hurriedly? (Oh wait, were they even in a hurry?)
Do we need to shout or announce that someone is coming for them to hold that door open for a few more seconds?
For goodness sake, it's only for a few more seconds and not like eternity and yet they can't wait.
How do you teach that in school?
This is something that needs to come from your own judgment; unless you're deaf, that's a different story....
(So, don't let me meet one of you who deliberately pushed the close button so that I can't get in! )
Scenario 2:
You're waiting in line for the KTM/LRT to arrive and soon it does.
You were slowly approaching the carriage which you are standing closest to and there's a bunch of people who just rushed to the front; in front of you.
(Yeah, they just didn't see you; how convenient)
When the door opens, there are a bunch of people trying to get out but those bunch of people just pushed their way in.
You stood there being pushed by these 2 groups of people and by the time, you decided it's time to push your way in, the door closes and the porter comes over, yelling at you to stand behind the yellow line to wait for the next train.
You grit your teeth and tell yourself that you're going to push your way in when the next train arrives (you start to think that's probably the reason the earlier bunch of people pushed themselves in and jumped the line)
When the train arrives, you managed to get in somehow and find a place to sit.
It was fully occupied and you were left with no choice but to cling to one of those hand rails either hanging up on the train's ceiling or place your hand to grab that pole (if you manage to find a space between those tightly-gripping hands) and at the same time, enduring those stares from people sitting comfortably at your armpits (and you wonder whether you have body odour or whether your shirt is torn underneath those armpits).
When the train stops at the next station, you see an old lady and a pregnant woman entering the coach. You wait to see if there's any vacant seats and that's where you notice that those people who were so busy scrutinizing you and every single person standing in front of them were now hanging their heads low; pretending to be asleep or deeply poring into their newspapers like they read about the world coming to an end in a few hours.
The two unfortunate ladies had to stand and maintain their balance while the train speeds and wobbles through the tunnels and tracks.
Doesn't this sound familiar to you?
If they didn't know that they should give way or give up their seats to those needy, then why did they know how to offer their seats when the PM himself was in the train?
(I wonder)
Scenario 3:
You were in the office, carrying a high stack of files and papers which you need to bring from this cabinet to another (okay, you were probably over-estimating yourself but you just wanted to save the time of having to do it several times).
You walked past cube after cube and a bunch of guy colleagues and even female colleagues along the way and the weight is getting to you.
You had to open the door in front of you and you realized that your hand could not possibly reach the door knob and you tried to look around helplessly, past the towering heights of your files and you could see everyone were busy at work.
Then someone comes out of the pantry or the restrooms but they walked past you; like you were invisible.
You knew you had to either put down your files and do it yourself; but thinking of the trouble of stacking those files and yet holding the door, you knew you had no choice.
You called out to that colleague who looked surprised (as though they just saw you); and you really believed you have turned into a static office ornament which has been standing there; unnoticed by everyone.
The colleague finally walked over and opened the door for you.
Before you could turn back and utter thanks, the door has closed and all you could see is his/her back.
Or you could be in a supermarket where you've just completed your shopping.
Since it was the sales period and things seem to be really cheap; everything seems to be at a fraction of their original price and you realize that you do need almost everything, and in a short few hours, you have bought an amount which could feed or hold an entire nation.
Now the problem is you have these shopping bags which you need to carry and the car park is not so near.
You finally made your way there and you saw someone in front of you - you fastened your pace to catch up with them; hopefully you could squeeze out of the door or they may probably be good Samaritans who could hold the door for you and when you reach there, the door slams in your direction and you almost fell from that swinging magnetic door which ALMOST hit you.
In the end, you had to use your shopping bags to push that door (if you still have any energy left in you after all that cursing under your breath!)
Do all these sound familiar to you?
I still have so many scenarios to share that if I were to use up this entire blog, it may not be sufficient to list them all out!
I bet you're probably laughing by now at all those scenarios and thinking how everyday it is.
Mind you, these are not to be dismissed by, "Oh, that's perfectly normal" because this is a clear show that you and I are just like these senseless morons who think that they are doing nothing wrong.
Now how much lesson do we need to incorporate to teach people how to hold the door open when you see someone coming, how to offer to help someone take their files when they're obviously struggling, how to volunteer to open the door for them, how to hold the door when someone's coming through with shopping bags, how to give your seat to the poor old woman/pregnant/disabled people, how to let the folks out of the carriage before you enter, how to turn on your signal when you want to turn into that lane, how to stop for pedestrians when they are about to cross the road, how to wave your hand in gesture to thank another driver who just gave way to you, how to stop smoking when people around you are already covering their mouths and noses with tissue/handkerchief, how to turn off the water tap you see running in a public restaurant without being told to, how to how to how to....
Do we really need to incorporate them anymore than we do right now in our Moral lessons?
Oh wait, do people really regard moral lessons as a necessity or just a silly subject added to their burden of science or core subjects?
See the attitude of even bothering to learn when there were attempts to teach?
And yet we wonder at why people are behaving this way around us or some of us, don't even care because they're one of them...
Now, if you're reading this and agree with me, don't let me catch you as one of those who committed any of the above crimes because common sense don't even need to come with legal education.
USE your mind and USE your senses; most importantly, your human brain....
UNLESS you don't have any!
