Sunday, December 13, 2009

The Obituary of an Old Friend

I got this from a family member via a "please forward" email. It seems in alignment with my concerns that citizens seem too interested in "Me", and not enough in "We"/USA. Thoughts? (source?)

We are mourning the loss of a beloved old friend who recently passed away. His name was Common Sense. Common Sense lived a long life but died in the United States from a vicious contagious disease.

He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes and factories, helping folks get the jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, frivolous lawsuits, and ludicrous verdicts held no power over Common Sense.

He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in from the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, and that life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by a simple and sound financial policy. Don't spend more than you earn. Common Sense also lived by other time-tested strategies like: The adults are in charge and not the kids, and it's okay to come in second or third.

A veteran of the Great Depression and the Technological Revoluion, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends such as body piercing, 'whole language' and 'new math'. But his health declined when he became infected with the I'm not responsible for my own actions and It's alright if it feels good viruses.

He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition.

It declined further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but could not inform the parents and get their permission when their children were given mind-altering drugs or birth control pills; and when universities turned into cesspools of debauchery and socialist propaganda.

Common Sense lost his will to live when criminals received better treatment than their victims, the Ten Commandments became
contraband, and priests molested young boys. When a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee is hot, and was awarded a huge settlement; and when the president sold security related technology to a hostile nation, Common Sense fell into a coma.

As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of consciousness, but was kept informed of new questionable regulations, such as thought control and partial birth abortion. Finally, when another president, claiming to staunchly protect the country from terrorist atrocities, yet allowing the same villains to invade the country through borders that are strangely very penetrable; being fully aware of what the grave consequences of such deliberate and ominous neglect can be, Common Sense died of sudden cardiac arrest.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Love; his daughter, Responsibility; and his sons, Diligence and Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers, Deception, Greed and Ignorance. Not many attended his funeral, because so few noticed he was gone.

6 comments:

Numbers Guy said...

John,

Thank you for this VERY GREAT post. I believe that this should be read by ALL citizens of the USA.

I hope that COMMON SENSE can be revived and is not dead but only in a sleep. Thanks again.

CDO said...

Excellent post John,

I prefer not to think that COMMON SENSE is dead but he is in danger of being lost in the wilderness with his friends self reliance and self determination. I have faith that we can still locate these dear friends and welcome them back into our society but I fear it will take the strength of many individuals who will start speaking out against the loss of these three.

Anonymous said...

According to Snopes.com, the piece is often and incorrectly attributed to George Carlin. Here is a link to someone who claims to have written it, in 1998:

http://www.suddenlysenior.com/deathofcommonsense.html

The Big Stink said...

They figure they have about a one-year window to trump common sense with their own brand of enlightenment. If the Republic can last until the we get it into the ER in the next election, we stand a chance.

If not, common sense is DOA.

Anonymous said...

The article seems to have been written in 1998. Looking at the history of that year, I find the author's assessment that common sense had died hard to disagree with.

Anonymous said...

The columnist, written in 1998, claims that zero tolerance policies violate common sense. I wonder if she would have said that the next year, after Columbine.

In the years since Columbine, many people have backed away from zero tolerance policies. I wonder if that's due to a return of common sense, or just a resumption of complacency about school safety.