LOVE, Kloudiia

Common sense is no longer as common, and don’t be surprise that one may need to make a prior appointment with this elusive sense of knowing.

Imagine this scenario:

Wife asks husband to set the table for some guests arriving for dinner. Husband goes into the kitchen and brings out some mugs. Wife sees them and asks him to replace them with the glasses that are used to serve guests. Husband doesn’t see the differnce between the mugs he brings out versus what can be used to serve guests. What she means is simple – bring out the water goblets, not mugs. 

To you, something may be really common sense. However, to another person, they may be thinking of something slightly different or entirely missed your point. Can we say the other person is stupid? No, we can’t. Just becasue somebody else doesn’t see the same mental pictures as us doesn’t make them any lesser in terms of intelligence.

In fact, I know some of the brightest people who, when it comes to certain aspects of their lives, moprh into complete idiots. And they would readily admit to their own weaknesses.

What does knowing this imply for us?

That whenever somebody doesn’t react or perform according to your expectations, before you raise your voice at them, why not give them the benefit of the doubt? Perhaps somewhere along the communication channel, one of you hasn’t been very clear and specific. More often than not, we’re the ones to be blamed for such vagueness in instruction as we had already pre-expected the person to know because to us, it is common sense.

Common sense, as it turns out, could be dependent on various factors like exposure, background and experiences that one is predisposed to or have accumulated along the way. Understanding this, I find, could potentially reduce a number of unnecessary conflicts between you and your friends and loved ones. Because I have observed that many times, misunderstandings arise when one party does not fully get what the other party wants. And when both sides lack the patience or the knowledge to handle their emotional states, that is when small actions can cause great unhappiness.

Let’s not start taking common sense for granted. Remember, your map is not the territory of your partner’s!