Common Sense

It’s true what they say – common sense isn’t that common.

Common sense describes an idea so basic and sensible that it’s shared by all. Is there really such a thing?

I was driving to my volunteer shift one day after a snow storm. The roads were clear, thanks to the city plows and a little melting. However, when I came into a residential neighborhood, I found a man throwing large chunks of ice across the road. I had to slow down to a crawl to make my way through this obstacle course of icebergs that were big enough to tear a hole in my undercarriage.

His common sense told him that he lived on the shady side of the street and if he ever wanted the ice to melt off his property, he needed to throw it somewhere else. He has seen other people do this and thought it was a reasonable idea.

I suppose his common sense also told him that the road in front of his house was heated or at least hotter than his property and therefore, the ice would melt away quickly. His common sense also must have told him that vehicles of all sizes, including compact cars but barring the Titanic, can easily crush icebergs.

My common sense told me that I’d be lucky to get through his street without damage to my car.

This idea of throwing ice across the road, while not shared by all, is common around here. But is it actually sensible? The city, who is in charge of clearing the road of snow and ice, would not think so. I, wincing and bouncing all the way through this rough off-roading experience, did not think so.

Do you have examples of not-so-common sense?