Some say "common sense is not so common."

When we become sensitive to others’ opinions, or requirements, we learn common sense.

Let me quote two examples here:

An auto is parked in an Indian city at a bus stop where buses are supposed to stop and pick passengers. I saw a school girl remind the autodriver: “Uncle, isn’t this the place for bus to stop? If you park here, where they should stop the bus?” The autodriver silently moved the auto away from the bus stop. (Isn’t it common sense that autos shouldn’t park at a bus stop? But they don’t think and just do what they find suitable for themselves).

When a lift stops or a bus stops, shouldn’t the people outside wait for the occupants of the lift or bus to get out/down first? Isn’t it common sense? (They just think of themselves and are simply not sensitive)

Common sense is defined as “good sense and sound judgement in practical matters” in Google. It can also be acquired very fast by speding time with wise and knowledgeable people.

Common sense is nothing but common wisdom in other words, it is the fruit in the tree of Knowledge!

Some think wisdom comes only from experience. It is not true.

There are other ways to get wiser or become wise such as:

1) Listening to all, whether they are your friends or foes, close friends or even your strong critics.

2) By observing others silently and keenly and thinking the “WHAT" and "WHY" of everything.

3) Serving the gentle elderly, knowledgeable and/or wise ones, who shall share their wisdom with being pleased with your humble service.

4) By acquiring a good G.K.

5) By listening to good criticism from ladies and young or old people and acting on it.

Each person in this world is unique. Even mono-zygotic twins are not exactly the same.

One may be good at something by nature and another may learn the same thing with great difficulty.

You may call it Karma, Past birth Experience, or, if you are bitten by the science bug, you may take it to be "the very way a person's brain wired is such that he/she is wiser than others."

The story of Ganesha, a Hindu God, is a symbol of wisdom. His life story hints at how to get wise. He served his parents and acquired the knowledge of the entire world without even seeing the world himself.

Big ears of Ganesha are symbolic of listening to all people even if they are near to you or far from you.

Ganesha's Trunk indicates, poke your nose into everything. i.e. learn something about everything and everything about something.

Big head indicates to think well before you talk or take decisions.

You don't have to die yourself to know what happens when you die. You can always learn from others' experience (That of those near death experiences).

Instead of discussing whether it is possible to fix an elephant's head to a human body, we can try to understand the symbolic meanings hidden in the Indian Gods' Statues.

WISDOM IS THE PRACTICAL POWER

whereas

INTELLIGENCE IS THE POTENTIAL POWER.

INTELLIGENCE:

It can be defined as the degree of freedom of mind.

There are different types of intelligence.

It is also the creative ability and the ability to solve problems quickly.

There are different types of intelligence as per Howard Gardner.

COMPARISON:

A villager can be wise but not intelligent.

A townsman can be intelligent but not wise.

So, all can acquire wisdom in various ways which is the way to success.

An intelligent person may find success very hard but it is easy for a wise man!

Intelligence can be rented, but wisdom has to be sought humbly.

The Business Doyan Shri Dhirubhai Ambani ji was smart, though without a degree, and so he built thousands of crores worth business empire whereas thousands of intelligent people, people with Ph.D.'s worked under him.

ARE WE COMPROMISING ON WISDOM OVER INFORMATION?:

Todya's education system, even the parents of students, except in case of Developed countries, have made learning to be nothing but cramming of lot of unwanted information into the brains of students.

The information in the brain becomes only when processed by the brain and linked and undertood with its significance.

Wisdom has become rare commodity in the present education system. As there are no lesson which stres the importance of wisdom in life over information and intelligence. There are no activities held in schools, etc., to encourage wisdom in life.

Wisdom teaches us such values as respecting elders, doing things easily, chosing the best thing, management techniques, being humble (i.e. humility), co-operation, philonthropy, etc. which are very essential for the betterment of the society as a whole, whereas, Information (knowledge) and Intelligence focus on money, creativity and success.

Company of better, knowledgeable, more experienced and wise people can help us to gain a great deal of common sense. Even listening to practical women (as they are good observers and see the wisdom in things more readily than men) is a guaranteed way of learning common sense.

What is Common Sense?

Why is Common Sense Not So Common?