Is common sense dying?

[needsmostuff]

Common ya old Geezers.
I know I had a lot of Geezers look at me funny when I was young and figuring it out.
Know what I survived even if some of it left a mark.
I started my working life in some rather dangerous environments. My first 3 real jobs were a large metal scrapyard, a tombstone monument shop ( moving lots of big ,heavy rocks) and a copper mine. And I got very little guidance at any of them. Just stuck out there and told get it done. In hindsight, I was lucky to survive many times.
But you know what, young people take a hit and bounce pretty good. Then they find a better way.
Just part of the deal.
But if you see a kid doing something dumb, just without drama show him a better way.
Who knows, he might survive long enough for you to be part of his old Geezer showed me this story someday.

 

[bhp9]

Learning the art of critical thinking has a direct bearing on the accumulation of common sense. To the skilled the answers are simple and straightforward but to the larger group of people who have never learned critical thinking they can only say "Huh"?

 

[Randyzzz]

And now they've added this new clusterf*** on the north end of town. I've gone into Bend (Portland East) twice in the last two years. That's twice too many.

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Yeah, our kids still live in Redmond so I get back there monthly. My wife is there currently- she works from home but the office is in Sisters, so she spends a few days there from time to time. Honestly, if the interest rates get reasonable we will probably try to move back. Missing the kids and I'm not liking the criminal element in Methford and the Rogue Valley in general. I'm feeling like the outskirts of Prineville might be about right-

And as for ladders- I can do without them. About 16 years ago I was between jobs so I was helping a friend frame a second story addition to the garage. I was on the rim about 8 feet or so up. The phone, laying on the ground rang. There was a 10' ladder right by me- I tested it for stability but when I transferred my full weight to it- it kicked out. I landed on my hip and shoulder. Blew my rotator cuff and hairline fractured my humerus. Being between jobs I had no insurance and his only covered the emergency room. Luckily my wife is the office manager for a physical clinic. The owner was able to get me back to 80% over time with no surgery.
God was looking out for me that day- my friend had the footing brackets for the breezeway already installed- metal bars 4" wide and 12@m" tall sticking up out of cement. If I had fallen the other way I would have gotten skewered…game over.

 

[epags]

People only learn if they make a mistake that costs them or hurts them. And then they have to WANT to do better.
Not my day to save the world so. ….. I usually just watch and enjoy the festivities.
Double that if they're of the opposite sex.

That pertains to strangers, not my immediate family of course.

Sorry, but I dont agree. I have always been careful not to shoot myself after seeing (videos) of others doing so. One can learn from observation.

 

[Ride1949]

Yeah, our kids still live in Redmond so I get back there monthly. My wife is there currently- she works from home but the office is in Sisters, so she spends a few days there from time to time. Honestly, if the interest rates get reasonable we will probably try to move back. Missing the kids and I'm not liking the criminal element in Methford and the Rogue Valley in general. I'm feeling like the outskirts of Prineville might be about right-

I'm closer to closer to Powell Butte than Redmond. Pretty peaceful here. Many's the time, that if I don't need to drive into town, I may go a week or two without seeing a single vehicle or any people.

 

[hike]

Funeral services for common sense were held several years ago.

In the 1990's (Clinton was POTUS, very appropriate) a liberal published a book entitled, "The Death of Common Sense". The author showed how the process of paperwork had become more important than a completed project, job, etc. Common Sense was outlawed in most Democrat-controlled area & states by the time the book was published and the author, a liberal & registered Democrat, was lamenting the fact that Democrats get very little, if anything, accomplished and/or completed. Quit the classic!

 

[blume357]

So part of the lighting in my church was going wonky last night after a heavy rain and the various powers that be kept texting with me included about what the problem could be. I was sure it was down the line outside the building but somebody called the power company to come check. I get a text that the guy just came off the roof and says the power to the building is fine and the problem must be inside.
My reply was what about the other two places where power comes into the building... Yep... we have power coming in in three different directions to different parts... the HVAC and most of the lighting is on three phase...

 

[Randyzzz]

I'm closer to closer to Powell Butte than Redmond. Pretty peaceful here. Many's the time, that if I don't need to drive into town, I may go a week or two without seeing a single vehicle or any people.

Always loved Powell Butte. Had a good friend that sold his place there at the same time we sold ours in Redmond. I should have just bought his place instead of moving to Southern Oregon. We lived right by Cline Falls- second lot N of 126 on 67th. It was far enough out to be comfortable, yet Redmond was under 10 minutes away.

 

[Armybrat]

Common sense has been dead for several years!

Several decades, really.

 

[Armybrat]

"Back in the day" you had to work through a problem or THINK! Nowadays it's just easier to ask you phone what/how to do something. An earlier post talked about counting out change. My recent experience… some tacos I bought recently came to $13.05
Gave him a $20 and he started tapping away at his keyboard. Then I quickly grabbed a nickel and said, "here is the .05 (just to make it easier on their coins and maybe save time) well, after about 15 seconds of a 1000 yard stare, smoke came out of his ears and he handed me my nickel back, then gave me my $6.95 Why?? Because his computer told him too. I tried to explain why I gave him the nickel. After 5 seconds or so, I realized I was beating a dead horse.

We have gone through the same scenario more than once.

About 35 years ago one of my sons took a summer job at a local McDonalds.
He started out early that morning in the kitchen, but by noontime he was on the register up front because he was the only one on the crew shift who knew how to make change.

 

[caryc]

Glad to see you have a good sense of humor about that. Some would have worked themselves into a real snit.

That must have been one of them "express" ladders with the speedy way down.

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

Dying? Almost dead. Ridiculous from the smallest decisions to the biggest. This would include those who sit and WATCH and LISTEN to those decisions being made.

 

[gnappi]

Dying? nope, it's been dead a long time and I realized this several years ago when I read a signature file that (paraphrased) read:

"I'm not in favor of killing all of the stupid people in the World BUT, can we just remove all of the warning labels and let nature sort things out"

 

[blume357]

amen to that... I don't think I'm the only one here who when they open the instructions for something just skips through the first couple of pages of what not to do.

 

[Jack Ryan]

You can't fix stupid

That's why God made sure it would hurt.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Common ya old Geezers.
I know I had a lot of Geezers look at me funny when I was young and figuring it out.
Know what I survived even if some of it left a mark.
I started my working life in some rather dangerous environments. My first 3 real jobs were a large metal scrapyard, a tombstone monument shop ( moving lots of big ,heavy rocks) and a copper mine. And I got very little guidance at any of them. Just stuck out there and told get it done. In hindsight, I was lucky to survive many times.
But you know what, young people take a hit and bounce pretty good. Then they find a better way.
Just part of the deal.
But if you see a kid doing something dumb, just without drama show him a better way.
Who knows, he might survive long enough for you to be part of his old Geezer showed me this story someday.

Scars are just check marks to remind you what you don't want to do again.

 

[caryc]

That's why God made sure it would hurt.

As John Wayne said "Life is tough but it's tougher if your stupid".

There has been a lot written about this quote but I actually heard him say it in one of his movies.

 

[t-reg]

Bet that kid could show you a thing or two when it comes to video games

 

[blume357]

Got the book mentioned here in another thread, "The Old Men". it is a book of 88 short essays by a minister who grew up in the Appalachian mountains and what the old men taught him. One of them is about learning from others mistakes.... point being listening to the mistakes others have made does not hurt as bad as making them yourself.
I plan to pass the book on in a Karma here.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Lack of training by Babyboomers would be more correct.

There is truth in this. Baby boomers (my parents' generation) were the first generation with massive divorce problems (my parents have been married for 53 years) which lead to many kids being raised by single parents or a step parent. That left less time to train the kids when when they (my generation X) started having kids we (not me specifically) did even worse. After that came the internet age generation where common sense is irrelevant. Just google anything you don't understand.