Common Sense

I came across a bunch of people fishing off the pier and this man on the breakwaters; and at the same time, I noticed this sign that was no more than 100 feet from the beach.
The scary thought is that these fishermen were actually bringing their catch home for their family. Don't they realize that if the water was unsafe for swimming that these bottom-feeding fish would be just as dangerous for consumption?
Of late I’ve been intrigued by how people conduct their lives; why they do what they do; the foolhardiness of some people. When you interact with and observe people like I do, you discover a lot about human behaviour.

One of the questions I’ve asked myself is, “what has happened to common sense?” Why do smart people do dumb things?

I’ve discovered that common sense is really not that common these days and that you can score high on a standard intelligence test and yet make foolish decisions for simple tasks.

It seems that, from studies, there are three components to the cognitive system in our brain that controls our decisions and actions. Most people merely operate with the autonomous mind. This form of thinking is based on conditioning and association. Simply put; monkey see – monkey do! That’s why most people gas up at the same gas station; eat at the same places; purchase the same type of bread for breakfast.
The two other components of our cognitive system are the algorithmic and reflective minds.
When we train and engage all these elements; it enables us to make better decisions.
Can common sense be taught? I guess! If people made it a point to think more before they acted!