Common Sense There Are Moments

Common Sense

There are moments in life when our actions tend to go beyond the rational line of thought that usually represents our system of moral values and we make mistakes which affect the relationship with the ones around. In general we are guided by a certain moral framework that unconsciously limits our negative reactions to different external factors; however, there are situations in which we fail to control our manifestations and, at that moment, we forget about common sense and the behavior it entangles. Still, it is important to realize the mistakes we make, to take responsibility for them, and try to reduce the eventuality of such events to take place in the future.

Defining commonsense is, most of the times, a process that depends upon our personal experience in reaction to the outside world. Indeed, there are various definitions that would point out the basic theoretical elements of the notion. For instance, according to Merriam Webster online Dictionary, common sense is a "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts," (Merriam Webster, 2007) whereas the 1913 Webster Dictionary defines it as a "moral perception or appreciation" of the situations facing us every day. (Online Dictionary, 2007) Therefore, it can be said that the notion represents a personal understanding of the actions taking place in the society, and our reactions to them after having been filtered by our moral system of values.

From this perspective, I failed to use common sense in my actions with my friend, SSG Sumbler. Throwing his clean laundry bag in the dirt was indeed an unreasoned gesture which I deeply regret. Indeed, through my action, I broke a number of courtesy rules which in the end proved a senseless behavior from my behalf. Even though my intention was to help him with the laundry, I acted foolishly and I let my personal matters get in the way and it resulted in a situation that ultimately led to my friend being upset with me. Indeed, in retrospect, my personal issues, no matter how stringent they might have been, should not have stayed in the way of exercising my common sense in the relationship with the rest of the individuals.

From this perspective, it is most likely that I should have followed what the son of the writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, C.E. Stowe said in relation to common sense, that "common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done." (ThinkExist.com Quotations, 2006) Therefore, I now come to realize that it is of little importance the actual personal problems we are faced everyday because the people around us, and especially our friends, have no blame in them and acting foolishly towards them would not improve or create a result to our own issues. On the contrary even, when we tend to act without using our common sense, that is our basic moral rules of behavior, me may end up losing our friends.