About Common Sense

• Published: 2025-01-09 15:49
• Updated: 2025-01-09 19:09

It’s said that “common sense is not that common”. And I wonder: What if we had a commonly agreeable definition for a start? This attempt of finding one is is subject to continuous revision.

As individual, my everyday life builds, and depends on labor and ingenuity of others. From all over the world. Many of their inventions are the result of implementing the ideas, processes and strategies of others. From across the globe.

• The smartphone or computer I use builds on inventions by people from all around the globe. Their production requires resources from all continents.
• The food I digest uses flavors only known to me as result of international trade.
• The clothing I wear was produced by people outside my country.
• Many of the brands I follow can only exist because they are able to sell products outside of my country.
• The house I live in was built using processes and strategies refined by global cultures over time.
• …

Without the exchange of ideas, processes and strategies across boundaries and time, my everyday life today would be different.

Consequently, “common sense” means that my words and actions must support the continuity of exchange across boundaries. As well as the physical and mental well-being of everyone, whose use of resources benefits my everyday existence.

As soon as my words and actions as individual, group, organization or country wish or inflict harm on another individual, group, … : I am shooting in my own leg. Because I am limiting what I, we, our and future generations are capable of achieving.