The Sixth Sense

We, as human beings, have 5 senses.  Most human beings however have a sixth sense..common sense.  I stress the word most because you would be amazed at those people who seem to have no common sense at all. 

I was sitting at the table eating my breakfast and I was sifting through all the stuff on my table when I happened upon an empty marker package.  The warning labels on that package made me laugh...only because I feel that I have a lot of sense when it comes to the common type.  Do people really not know that a plastic bag can sufficate a child?  Do people really not know that ink of a marker can stain your carpet and clothing?  Do people really not know that the small parts of a marker can make a small child choke?  All of these warnings are on this one little package.

I have had the conversation with different people about the fact that people seem to lack this sixth sense and some people think it comes down to education, more than just what facts should be obvious to us.  It amazes me that some people don't realize that if you give a child a real gun to play with, they just might hurt someone...common sense...that if you drink alcohol when pregnant, your child might suffer the consequences later in life...common sense...that if you don't put your seatbelt on while driving, you might get hurt if you are in an accident...common sense...that if you put a baby down to sleep in a water bed, they might not wake up...common sense...that if touch a hot stove, you will get burned...common sense. 

I do believe there is a certain age at which we start learning what common sense is - we aren't born with it of course - but that age is young enough so that when we are put into situations that require us to use that sense of ours, we have it!  If it is just a lack of education more so than our own ability to use that extra sense we have, then I urge everyone in this world to pick up a magazine, look up at the billboards, read the labels, watch the news, ask someone else, read a book....the education that is needed to replace the common sense is everywhere if we just look.

SJ