We have become a nation of “blamers”.  It seems that no person is ever to blame for anything undesirable that happens to them.  We can all think of many instances of this: whites are to blame for many blacks who remain outside the mainstream;  the rich are to blame for poverty; employees are to blame for incompetent/ineffective employees; the school systems are to blame for functional illiteracy;  lending institutions and credit card companies are to blame for consumer debt;  drug peddlers are to blame for addiction;  tobacco companies are to lame for the many ill results of tobacco use;  the fast food industry is to blame for obesity;  auto companies are to blame for traffic deaths and injuries;  servers and bartenders are to blame from drunk driving;  gun makers/sellers are to blame for most murders and robberies;  atheists and agnostics are to blame for the decrease in moral and ethical behavior;  and on and on until it should be enough to embarrass us all.  Indeed, no matter what undesirable thing happens to us, you can be certain someone else was to blame.

For sure, there are varying degrees of truth in all of these.  There can be no doubt that white racism made life harder for American blacks.  And, there are some truisms here:  were there no guns, the death rate from shooting would be zero.  Were there no automobiles, the traffic death rate would plummet (there would still be the occasional horse and buggy hit-and-run, people falling from horseback, etc.).

So what, you might ask, who really cares?  Well, at a minimum, always blaming others reinforces irresponsible behavior.  But, that is not the worst of it.  No, there is a much more subtle thing that goes with the attitude of “victimization”.  Think about this…

If I am black, and the conditions of my life are not what I want, and I blame these conditions on some nameless, faceless “white people”,  then, by definition, my circumstances cannot possibly improve until those “white people” either stop whatever they are doing and/or start whatever they are not doing, to improve my  life.  Meanwhile, until that happens, I am pretty much helpless, unable to do anything to advance my own situation.

If my health is not what I wish it were and I blame tobacco companies, fast food vendors, etc. for my condition, then I am bound to stay unhealthy until either I die, or all those evil merchants cease to make and sell their poisons.  And, I am helpless until then because, by definition, so long as tobacco is available, I must use it.  So long as junk food can be obtained, I must eat it.

If I am wallowing in debt, possibly facing bankruptcy or the loss of everything I have accumulated, and I blame the lenders, the credit card companies, and the “evil rich” for my condition, then, by definition, I am doomed to debt slavery.  So long as lenders will lend me money, credit card companies will  issue me cards, so long as the rich keep just getting richer, then I am, indeed, doomed.  There is nothing whatever I can do to change my own situation.

I hope you all ave noticed by now that the recurring theme in the snippets above is this:  to the extent that you blame others for your situation – any situation, then you have given those others a level of control over you and your life.  All you can do is wait for those others to mend their evil ways, or, worse yet, turn to government to be your savior.  Either way, you forfeit freedom and you forfeit control of your own life.

Now, if your life ambition is to be the human equivalent of a farmyard animal, dependent on some other human(s) for the necessities of life, and subject to their every whim, then I suggest that accepting your victim status and waiting for a miracle to occur, is your right.  If that is the case, rejoice in your victim status and shut up about it because the rest of us have more important things to worry about.

If, on the other hand, you prefer freedom and control over your own life, then I suggest you try a new point of view.  Take a long, clear look at your life, determine those areas where you would genuinely like change (presumably improvement), then ask yourself, with total honesty, what keeps you from making that change.  Look even deeper and consider how much of what needs to be done, can actually be done by you.  For sure, there might be things that others could do to make it easier for you – but, relying on that would just put you back into victim mode.  Focus instead on the part you can do — then do it.  Not only will this get you closer to what you really want, it will give you feelings of freedom, dignity and self control that in themselves are worth the effort.

I realize there is yet another group who are dependent simply because they do not have a clue how things work.  They want to be paid more because they are totally ignorant of the relationship between productivity/employee value and the pay one receives.  They have no problem with government handouts because they haven’t a clue how government gets the money it hands them, have no clue that they are demanding that their fellow citizens be mugged by government in order to meet their demands.  They envy the rich because they haven’t a clue how one becomes rich, that riches most often come from doing what others want, rather than doing them wrong.  The people in this group can only be pitied because only education can save them and I see no indication that those currently in power want to educate the ignorant out of government dependence.  Instead, they are willing to sacrifice these people for their own power.  Those of us who know better will have to rescue these people, if, indeed, they are ever to be rescued.

One last thought about envying the rich… am I the only one to notice that this is almost always directed toward rich business people?  For some reason, those among the super-rich who make their millions because of their ability to play with a ball or other child’s toy — or those who are paid outrageous amounts for their ability to look “sexy” while reciting words written by someone else, these folks are never among the “evil” rich.  OK, I know these people are paid what the marketplace deems they are worth.  But, so are most business executives.  Obviously, excessive pay and evil riches are in the eye of the beholder.  Get a clue.

And, take responsibility for your own outcomes.  Do not be a volunteer slave to anyone or anything – especially a government.

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With all the corruption we see around us, in government and business in particular, it is easy to conclude that ethics are, and have been, on a pretty steep decline. Many causes / reasons / excuses are offered for this sad state. From lack of prayer in school to lack of adequate laws and enforcement.

I beg to disagree. I think the overwhelming reason is that we no longer hold people accountable in this society. Kill someone while driving drunk? Clearly the fault of the person who sold you the booze. Make your living mugging old ladies? Obviously a mean society denied you (whatever), causing your outlaw behavior. Got cancer from years of smoking? Damn that Big Tobacco, whoever that is. Life a mess? Not your fault. And on and on it goes.

To me, it naturally follows that, if people are not held accountable, by their peers and fellow citizens, then the illegal acts we see everywhere slowly become commonplace, ergo sort of acceptable. So much so that it causes a major disruption, like a melt-down of our economy, to get people to pay even a little attention. Then, when the brown stuff hits the fan, we all squeal like baby pigs being taken away from their mother whining “why didn’t somebody do something?”.

But, with the possible exception of G W Bush, nobody is ever to blame. (This said tongue in cheek and with a lot of sarcasm.)

Lately, our rage seems particularly focused on executive compensation at large companies. While I do not wish the law to intervene in corporate pay and incentive schemes, I will admit that there are an increasing number of executives who treat their company’s treasury like a personal piggy bank.

Why, you ask, am I rehashing all this crap? Simple. If one follows the main-stream media, our current distress is all about the money. Money we poor folk would surely have were it not for the nasty fat cats who unfairly took it.

I can see why this angers people, especially those who are losing their incomes because of the melt down. However, there is something far more important than money at stake here and I fear few among us really understand what it is. In a word, it is freedom. Allow me to explain:

First, it is not hard to understand that, when governmental power grows, through additional laws, regulations, and confiscation of wealth, we the people are left with less freedom. After all, freedom is ultimately about who gets to make the choices that determine the course of our lives.

The more any individual is allowed to make their own decisions, for their own reasons, the more free they are. Conversly, the more decisions made for an individual by the state, the less free they are. Fair enough so far, is it not?

Now consider this. Whenever people consistently show themselves incapable of voluntary restraint (self discipline if you prefer), eventually those who see themselves as victims of this unrestrained behavior will demand government intervention. Obviously, this leads to more laws and regulations, more government spending, funded by ever more confiscation of wealth, ending with more governmental power. As we showed above, this translates to less freedom for the individual.

Bottom line, these folks are not just picking your pocket, they are helping squander the freedom that is your birthright. And too many of us cheer the government on as it happens.

The essential truth is that freedom can only exist in a society that practices voluntary restraint. One that voluntarily adheres to an agreed upon code of ethics and morals. It simply cannot be any other way. For those of you who might prefer a world in which everything is decided by the existence and strict enforcement of a comprehensive set of laws, let me remind you that such a society is known as a “police state”. Do you really want this?

So, you ask, what can be done without leveraging the power of government? Plenty. Once upon a time, societal acceptance was a stronger force than any law has ever been. How hard would it be to simply let your fellow citizens know that certain behavior is not acceptable? Then, if they persist in thier unacceptable behavior, to simply deny them the comfort and priviliges that go with good standing in society. For instance, tell your children that it is not acceptable to go about dressed in rags with profanity printed all over them. Tell your peers that cheating, stealing, and failure to contribute their fair share on the job and in the community is simply not acceptable. Then act accordingly.

You don’t have to shoot them, you don’t have to beat them up. You simply withhold your approval and acceptance.

Yes, that would require that we start acting like a community again, rather that a huge number of individuals that have no involvement with each other. But, would that be so bad?

Oh yes, one final thought. Start by gaining the approval of the person you see in the mirror. Remember that, it is your behavior as a citizen that determines what our society will be like, what it values will be. Over the years, I have known a lot of folk who would devoutly attend Sunday services, then threaten to run you over in their haste to get home. Which of these acts speaks the loudest?

Just a thought.

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Hello and welcome.

The first thing a new visitor might wonder is, why the name “Return to Common Sense”?  This reflects my thinking that most of the issues of our day can actually be understood by the application of what is usually called “common sense”.  (Don’t ask me where that name came from because, in my experience, it is anything but common.)

The point is that any rational individual, using only their native intelligence, sans any extended or specialized education, should be able to grapple with real issues.  For sure, there are many in politics, the media, and academia who would have you think this is not true but, I assure you it is.

Yes, you might occasionally have to break down really complex issues into their component parts (that is, into units small enough to be dealt with), but this is no real task.  Simply approach things like you would the task of eating an elephant… nobody reading this is capable of eating an elephant in one bite.  But all of us should be able to eventually devour the beast one bite at a time.  Dealing with issues is no different, plus, you don’t have to develop a taste for elephant!

You might also notice, from the above, that I attempt to inject a bit of humor — perhaps outright silliness — into my otherwise weighty pronouncements.  This is intentionally done to remind both you and me that I am not to be taken too seriously.  Even though the topics I hope we discuss here are often deadly serious.

Bloggers Note:

There exists a book named “A Return to Common Sense”.  There is no connection whatever, excepting recycling of a clever phrase, between that book and this blog.  In no way should the book’s author, editors or publisher be held responsible for anything contained herein.

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