Putting the ‘Common’ back into Common Sense

There are many newspaper articles, videos and discussions out there that suggest common sense is not (or no longer is), that common.  My sentiment is that may be true. Perhaps it used to be more common prior to the rise of ‘political correctness’ - when children were allowed to fail, allowed to experiment and allowed to get hurt and thereby learn from their mistakes; then pass these little wisdoms on to their friends and take them into their communities.  Now we helicopter parent and wrap our children in cotton wool.  We have not done the next generation any favours by doing so; in fact I posit that we have failed them miserably in our duty of passing on ‘common sense’.

We now have an extraordinary generation of youngsters who care passionately about the environment (probably more so than any generation before), are tech savvy, able to use social media to rapidly motivate and advance their causes – but have precious little ‘common sense’ – particularly relating to actions that culminate in undesirable and unsafe outcomes.

A Comical Perspective on Common Sense

It’s no surprise that stand-up comedians get folk laughing about HSE measures that should be dealt with by ‘common sense’.  I suggest you watch a YouTube clip titled “Steve Hughes on health and safety – BBC”.  Heck, to make it easier, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAnGYfnFz9I

The truth often hurts – but it can also make us laugh – especially when the matter at heart is common sense; even more so when that is linked to a topical issue such as health and safety.  The Darwin Awards has been specifically created to commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it in normally inconceivable ways.  Is this a reflection of a lack of common sense ?  In my books, a definite ‘Yes”.

The ‘health and safety brigade’ - or more specifically interventions such as signage - are often derided by the populace because, to them, the hazard that the measures and signs are trying to protect folk from, is obvious and common sense !  Well, if one has no awareness that handling a poison arrow frog can be life-ending, then hindsight bringing obviousness into the equation becomes a moot point.  However, if one were to live in South American tropical rain forests, making the knowledge of the dangers of handling brightly coloured little frogs widespread and common becomes vital.  

So it is incumbent on the older generation to both transfer knowledge of the hazards within the environment we work and play in to the younger generation, and, to give youngsters the opportunity to learn to manage risks from an early age.   The outcome of both of these is, well, ‘common sense’.

What is Common Sense ?

Common sense is not something we are born with.  It can be taught and learned independently by association of knowledge already assimilated. The good old building block principle.

Duncan Watts’ take on common sense is that it is  “The kind of intelligence we rely on to navigate concrete everyday situations.”  The very reason we can dress in pyjamas to go to work or school but don’t do that is ‘common sense’. i.e. rules or conventions we follow without having to think about or contemplate.

Common sense evolves from learning cause and effect over many, many cycles or repetitions to establish reliability. That then leads to knowledge of what to do and what to avoid doing.  Some might call that wisdom / intuition.  Remember, we are not born wise; it takes time, life experience and reflection for true wisdom to arise in an individual.

Duncan Watts does caution that common sense is not truly (or immovably) reliable – as, when a factor in the mix changes, then so could the outcome.  Common sense might fail us when we try to reason about situations which are not concrete everyday situations – particularly those that involve complexity or multiple interactions. Consider the conflict of sensory inputs relating to balance, and information displayed on the instrument cluster to the pilots of an aircraft flying in clouds. A difference of opinion of what may seem common sense may induce an error culminating in catastrophe.

How Do We Re-introduce Common Sense ?

By all accounts, given the numbers of incidents that come tantalizingly close to making it into the Darwin Awards, we have been doing a pretty poor job of passing on ‘sense’ so that it remains common.  

Lack of common sense does not manifest or discriminate on the basis of age. It applies itself only on the basis of lack of awareness and knowledge, and those unfortunate to fall into this category become unwitting victims; adding to the statistics of those injured, maimed and buried as a consequence of their unsafe actions or, as a consequence of actions of others.

Transfer of common sense used to be done generations ago – so what has changed?  Society has changed.   Society demands through sometimes fanatical misinterpretation of health and safety legislation, that we wrap our people in cotton wool with layers of process and procedures to keep them from harm. We thereby inadvertently (but very effectively) remove opportunities for self-learning, discovery and for the transfer of common sense.  I’m certainly not advocating direct exposure to harmful agents or unprotected equipment; an on-site discussion or demonstration will go miles in helping to fill the common sense tank.

We also spend more time at work away from home and less time actively engaging with children, as well as with those new to the work force. In many cases trade apprenticeships have been shelved - a primary mechanism for the transfer of common sense in the workplace within a safe and controlled space.   One simply cannot absorb or appreciate common sense exclusively from a computer screen – there just isn’t the equivalent of show-tell-do-observe.  I’ll borrow a phrase attributed to Marie Antoinette and then modify same to suit to get to the point: Let them climb trees !

Let them Climb Trees

Common sense is best transferred in the smallest unit an individual is a member of or participates in.  In the ideal world, the dispersion of common sense would take place at the family unit: the smallest fragment of society.  This mechanism for transfer fails however, when the parents either have little (or no) common sense themselves – perhaps through a failure in the transfer thereof when they were younger themselves – or and in some cases, very sadly, simply don’t care for the welfare of those in their care, therefore no effort at passing on common sense is made.  

In this age of broken one-parent families, the task of the transfer of common sense becomes even more challenging.  This is where the next unit of belonging - the extended family - can step up and be the voice and means of passing on common sense.  This has in fact been the way in what may be considered ‘backward’ societies for years: the elders of the clan passing on their wisdom (handed down from generation to generation) to the youngest.  Apart from the Amish, not many folk that I am aware of in Western society live in clans, or have the benefit of the on-hand support of extended family available.  I postulate this may be an unfortunate consequence of the pursuit of the dollar (ironically to benefit the family) often requiring geographic relocation; but at the unfortunate expense of losses of family support and that of the benefit of transfer of common knowledge and nurturing that an extended family can provide.  

The next unit young (most) youngsters are part of is their school class and school at large.  Those home-schooled of course miss out on being part of this group, but may make up for it being part of a sports or cultural club such as Boy Scouts or Girl Guides - both of which do a sterling job of handing on the baton of common sense through their endeavours.  It is through these community institutions that we have another golden opportunity to create awareness of hazards; how to identify and potentially deal with them and so doing, enlighten their members on practical sense matters so these become obvious and can be navigated safely.

I applaud the Swanson (primary) School in Auckland, New Zealand, for taking the bold step in this walk-on-eggshells PC world we live in, of introducing a ‘Free Play’ environment.  A world in which climbing trees is encouraged and rules have been ditched in favour of pupils learning common sense for themselves through problem-solving, communication and failure.  What may at first appear to be chaos on the playground is an environment where the situational awareness of pupils has been enhanced through the gift of freedom to take risks and learn from their errors i.e. manage risks.   It truly ironic (perhaps though fanatical application of health and safety legislation and fear from prosecution) that the vast majority of educational institutions have actively worked to remove the freedom to take risks through banning activities such as climbing trees.  Swanson School reminds me of the environment I grew up in, so I can both relate to and appreciate the significance of adopting this approach. Kudos to Swanson School.  For those interested, a link to their story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uADHiCuq1SI

The Challenge of New Technology

Despite the best will, sometimes the intention to transfer common sense fails. The relentless pace of change of technology makes it nigh impossible to adapt to, learn from and identify hazards inherent in the use of technology. ‘Smart’ phones are a case-in-point. Research now supports the many ills inflicted on society post the introduction of these devices: depression, addiction, bullying, broken relationships to name just a few.

Of course there are numerous benefits to smart phones too – but the point I am trying to make here is that the dangers of new technology are often not readily apparent, and when they do become so, passing this information on takes considerable time and effort. In today’s fast-paced world we are in a constant race against time.  I strongly advocate the simple philosophy of ‘slow down’ – take time, breathe: that may be all one needs to gain insights into a hazardous situation arising should the current contemplated course of action be pursued.  This especially more so in the absence of the benefit of common sense - where hindsight loses its potency and lustre.

Conclusion

The provision of safe outcomes is a social issue and requires a societal fix.  Social problems are extremely difficult to remedy when folk struggle to see the proverbial forest for the trees as a consequence of narrowed focus, blinkered by the busyness of life.  When this happens it takes courage to stand up, face the crowd and speak out; to become a catalyst for change by convincing others that there is a better way.

I’m an advocate of fewer rules and more ‘boundaries’ within which to operate, and will elaborate more on that in a forthcoming article as it dovetails well with ‘common sense’; but just for now, would like for the reader to mull over the concept and how fewer rules may facilitate and stimulate common sense.

Mahatma Ghandi said “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Let’s be passers-on of the knowledge our youngsters and co-workers need.  Let’s not be afraid to use the most powerful tool in our arsenal - speaking up to verbalize the common sense within when we notice things heading the wrong way.  Let’s give children and co-workers the freedom and space to experiment, to fail, to learn – to grow.  Let’s re-introduce the ‘common’ back into common sense and foster responsible and safe citizens. … In both metaphorical and literal senses: Let’s encourage them to climb trees.

This is the third in the series of short Safety Soapbox articles; the intention of which is to impart my thoughts and observations in order to stimulate debate on matters relating to the achievement of safe outcomes – at work, at play and life in general.  I welcome commentary and constructive engagement on the content of each article.

For those reading this series of articles; some caveats: know that my writing is based on my opinion, and observations, but most importantly, on what sits right with me.  For this to happen there needs to be alignment of feelings on the subject matter across my head, heart and gut.