Dams have spillways. These are the emergency overflow valves, if you will, to keep water from overflowing the dam. Recently, the Oroville dam’s main spillway suffered a hole because of erosion. If you’ve been reading about the rains in California, the mud slides and the messes that have been created, you can understand why these spillways are being taxed. Anyway, the people of Oroville, which is south of the dam, were told to evacuate. As part of the evacuation order, they had to be told, “Do not drive north toward the dam.” Now I don’t know about you, but if I was told to evacuate – no argument about it – because the spillway had a hole in it and pieces of concrete, as well as water, were coming south, about the last thing I’d do is drive north. You don’t have to tell me not to drive north. I mean, people, c’mon, common sense dictates that you drive east, west, or south. If you drive west, you have 150 miles before you hit the Pacific Ocean. Drive east, and you’re just getting’ to hell out of the way. Drive south and you’re avoiding potential disaster, but all it takes is a bit of common sense.
In New England, February has come in with a blizzard followed by a snowstorm. Many roads are slick and dangerous. Mayors, governors, highway safety officials, and plow drivers are telling people to stay off the roads because they are dangerous. What happens? A’s and I’s hop in their cars to drive to the store for whatever, to work because they’re so indispensable, or to somewhere else, “…because I’m a New England and I know how to drive in snow.” Then, they wonder what the hell happened when they wind up crashing into the rear end of a snow plow or ass-end upward on a snowbank by the side of the road, or, as one teenager did, slam through a guard rail and wind downside up crashing through a frozen brook. This is what is known as a lack of common sense.
Yes, I know, it was Voltaire who said, “Common sense isn’t all that common.” You and I see it every day. People die in fires because someone didn’t put out their cigarette properly. Cars smash because someone thought they were smarter than others and could text and drive. Folks in a hurry to catch the subway, tripping and falling onto the tracks, never to catch a subway again. Carbon monoxide deaths because buying a new toy was more important than buying a CO detector. The list goes on and on with death or serious injury being the result of not using common sense.
Arguments will be presented, such as, “We ran out of formula for the baby,” or ”We didn’t know how low we were on milk,” or “I’m needed at my workplace.” That last one is a pisser, particularly if the boss should call in and tell someone who is essential that he or she is going to work from home today. News alert…none of us is indispensable; we can all be replaced…”Oh, too bad about Charlie. He got killed trying to get to work in the blizzard. Somebody in HR will have to post a job opening.” That’s right, “a job opening.” Sorry, Charlie, you tried and died. In a couple of years, no one will even remember your name, but you just had to get to work. Are there people who have to get to work? Sure, doctors, nurses, fire and police officers, television reporters, and a number of others. Fortunately, most of these folks are blessed with common sense. They either find a place close to their jobs to stay over until they can walk to work or sleep over on site. For the rest of us, it’s just a situation where we use our heads for something other than a hat rack.
I happen to be a fan of Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense, a pamphlet published in February, 1776. This plain language piece was instrumental in convincing the people of the 13 colonies to fight for their independence against unfair and unjust ways and the tyranny of a king and the British Parliament. Think about it for a moment…Here we were, a group of 2.5 million people as opposed to England’s nearly 7.5 million, and we were willing to fight for our independence. As Paine puts it, “The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth. ‘Tis not the affair of a city, a country, a province, or a kingdom, but of a continent of at least one eighth part of the habitable globe.“ I won’t kid you, Common Sense is not the easiest reading you’ll ever do. In places it rambles a bit, but it certainly explains why Americans went to war to defend their rights.
I find it unfortunate that the common sense of which Paine speaks is so sadly lacking in today’s America. It has nothing to do with going to war and everything to do with just using common sense in all that we do. Going to bed and believing that the hot ashes in the fire place will go out by themselves is really not too bright. Driving down the road while texting or trying to read a newspaper is just asking for an early trip to the funeral parlor. Attempting to clear a clogged snowblower without turning the machine off is actually an invitation to being called “Lefty” for the rest of one’s life. Swimming with the seals in Chatham is akin to inviting a great white shark to lunch…with you as an appetizer. The examples are endless when it comes to the lack of common sense we exercise. As for me, aw shucks, I’m certain there are times when I’m just as dumb as the next person…common sense wise, that is!
Dick Bishop
Dick Bishop's Blog 