COMMON SENSE IS NOT VERY COMMON !

In the spiritual organization to which I belong, we often jokingly say, "Common sense is not very common'.

What is common sense and why / how is it so uncommon ?

One dictionary defines common sense as sound practical judgment independent of specialized knowledge,training, etc. ; it is considered to be the normal native intelligence. But the question that remains is how much of this sense is 'sound', or how much is 'normal' intelligence ?

Others define common sense variously as :

# Basic ability to perceive, understand and judge things or situation, an ability that can be reasonably expected of nearly all people without any need for debate ;

# Minimal understanding needed to sensibly conduct everyday life ;

# The ability to think and behave in a reasonable way and to make good decisions.

But these are all debatable terms. The definition of 'normal intelligence' depends on the degree of evolution. Intelligence is not just information, although you need intelligence to process information and categorize/classify it as knowledge. Many knowledgeable people may still do things that really don't prove sensible in the end. Just as information must ripen into knowledge, knowledge must ripen into wisdom which is actually intuitive understanding. Scriptures say human mind, until it learns to meditate and turn inward, is like a drunken monkey !

In any case, what is sensible to one person, may make no sense to another who is considerably more or less evolved, and what is reasonable to one may be quite unreasonable to another.

Siddhartha walked out of palatial comfort leaving his beautiful wife and a little son to become Buddha ; this was triggered by sights of sickness, old-age and death. Millions who witness these things everyday do not respond likewise !

Jesus Christ was persecuted, humiliated and eventually crucified and yet he had such love and consideration even for those who opposed and harmed him that he could pray on the cross, 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do !' This wasn't plain common sense, it was love divine of the highest order.

Lord Rama accepted 14 years' exile, no questions asked, to satisfy the wish of his father who was bound by an emotional promise he made to one of his wives, and set examples of the most selfless conduct possible - not only as a son, but as a brother, father, king etc. The sacrifices he made weren't ordinary common sense.

After the victory in the Kalinga War, in stead of rejoicing, Emperor Ashok turned very sad and remorseful at the widespread killing ; he gave up all warfare and turned to spiritual service. It indeed made great sense to an understanding heart, but it cannot be termed as simple common sense.

At the other extreme, it is not hard to find human beings who would behave in savage ways - they have human appearance but animal-like habits and tendencies. They shudder not to kill, rob, rape and harm without any provocation. They do not have any common sense !

Between these two extremes are millions who struggle between the good and bad tendencies. They are neither angelic nor devilish - just human.

But common sense is yet rather rare with them. To a yogi or an evolved soul, the body is like a raiment ; it is not the real Self, but to most commoners, the body is almost everything ; day and night they are so body-conscious that body's pleasures and sorrows are their chief concern and preoccupation. yet how many of them care for the body ? Most of the human sufferings in this world would greatly diminish - if not vanish altogether - if people would exercise regularly and have some control on what they eat, but rather than be guided by reason, they are driven by habits - things that they are used to, things that they like, rather than things that are really good for them ! Indeed, a stark lack of common sense !

We sow seeds of bad habits and hope to reap a harvest of durable happiness. We indulge in anger, hatred, jealousy and egoistic conduct but hope to live in peace.

In the Mahabharat War, one of the queries the Yaksha (demi-god) put to Prince Yudhishthir was : 'Kim ashcharyam' - what is the strangest or most surprising thing in the world ?

The wise prince had answered, 'Everyday people see others dying, yet they live thoughtlessly as if they would live for ever'.

Common sense, alas, is indeed so uncommon !

Essentially, common sense for common people lies in balance : Between feeling and reason, between home and office, between activity and calmness, etc.

On balance, my Master, Paramahansa Yogananda, says :

"Millions of people live a one-sided life and pass on in incompleteness. God has given each of us a soul, a mind, and a body, which we should try to develop uniformly. If you have led a life dominated by worldly influences, do not let the world impose its
delusions on you any longer. You should control your own life henceforth; you should
become the ruler of your own mental kingdom. Fears, worries, discontent, and
unhappiness all result from a life uncontrolled by wisdom.

"Do not confuse understanding with a larger vocabulary. Sacred writings are
beneficial in stimulating desire for inward realization, if one stanza at a time is slowly
assimilated. Otherwise, continual intellectual study may result in vanity, false
satisfaction, and undigested knowledge.

"The material and the spiritual are but two parts of one universe and one truth. By
overstressing one part or the other, man fails to achieve the balance necessary for
harmonious development...Practice the art of living in this world without losing your
inner peace of mind. Follow the path of balance to reach the inner wondrous garden of Self-Realization.

"I will be calmly active, actively calm. I will not become lazy and mentally ossified.
Nor will I be overactive, able to earn money but unable to enjoy life. I will meditate
regularly to maintain true balance."

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