Common Sense Is Not So Common

And why don’t we all have it?

Mwangi Wanjau
6 min readDec 28, 2023
Photo by Andreas Fickl on Unsplash

There’s no such thing as common sense.

Yes, by definition, common sense is common. The dictionary describes it as “the ability to apply conventional wisdom based on practical experience and observation”. We use our common sense all the time. If the sense were not common then it wouldn’t be called common sense, right?

But as the term became more popular over the years, it also lost its true meaning. The phrase is widely misused nowadays and people often don’t think about the context they’re using it in.

Here’s what you may or may not know about common sense;

It only makes sense to you

As you grow up, many of your views, values, and beliefs constantly change. What you used to believe as a kid is not what you believed as a teenager, and what you know now as an adult is entirely different too.

Common sense is subjective — it only makes sense to you.

We only understand it from the unique set of experiences we’ve gone through in our individual lives, and everyone’s experiences are different. What other people believe in is not something you necessarily believe in, and as a result, what others claim to be “common sense” may not be common to you.

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Mwangi Wanjau

Freelance writer & Professional Blogger | Creating a billboard of thoughts, ideas, and opinions.