people fumbling through life......

[woodbox]

I recall a friend who told about the car he wrecked - a new Plymouth Road Runner - that was a gift from his father for graduating with honors with an MBA.

That very day, less than an hour after being handed the keys, while driving around waving at friends and honking the distinctive “Bee Beep” horn,
he crashed into the back of a parked car.

But then, in the early 90’s, I had 1000 shares of Amazon at $10, that I (shrewdly, I thot) sold for $17.
Today that $10,000 would be 3.2 million.

I’m humming Mr Prines song: “ that’s the way the world goes ‘round. “

[Mr. Jelly]

Trying to enforce safety procedures is a never ending fight. Almost everyone fights them and argues that they are heavy handed regulations that are not needed to the fullest extent. Yet they are built on facts and numbers. It's the momentary lack of thought that gets people hurt. Industries that don't have much direct oversight end up having higher numbers of accidents. No ones around to say no, stop, do such and such. Yes, people do ask a buddy, after an accident, to grab their safety equipment so they won't get in trouble and can claim negligence by the company. Accidents are caused or let to happen. I have dealt with a number of industrial accidents and for the most part they were not stupid people. So what do you do about that? Answer, safety procedures.

[jpd]

"understanding some really basic functions of the world you live in seems, to me, a pre-requisite for being a resident of this planet."

Not the planet I live on

[Acousticado]

I’ve had my share of bonehead moves growing up. Every now and then my mind seems to unwittingly review those dumb endeavors or close calls which makes me shudder. I don’t like it when it happens. I guess it’s my brain reminding me not to think about doing anything crazy again. Funny that at the time, it seemed to make so much sense or was too fun to pass up.

[architype]

Originally Posted by raysachs

An old wise man (and many younger wise men and women since) once said that the only real sign of intelligence is being smart enough to know what you don’t know. People who think they know it all generally don’t know near as much as people who realize how little they know. The more you realize you don’t know, the fewer stupid things you’ll do thinking you know what you’re doing when you don’t, and the more you’ll want to learn about the stuff you don’t know. People who think they know everything are far more likely to do stupid thing because they obviously DON’T know lots of stuff. Which is compounded by them being less open to learn because they think they already know everything. You still have to be willing to try stuff you don’t know how to do (otherwise, how would you learn?), but you’re better off if you REALIZE you don’t know what you’re doing so you can take it slow and figure it out as you go, rather than rushing headlong into doing it wrong...

-Ray

This is the "Dunning Kruger Effect". Essentially, the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know.

[fumei]

Originally Posted by RP

Nobody is a genius in all areas nor is anyone completely ignorant in all areas...

I agree with first part, but I am not so sure about the second.

[kentwinterton]

To me it is called "common sense". And it is definitely not distributed in equal doses. I have 2 sons that are 2 years apart in age. The older son is brilliant and works as a critical care pharmacist in the ER at the University of Utah Hospital. But ask him to help mechanic a car or the like and he is lost. The younger son, on the other hand, is a Respiratory Therapist, at Primary Childrens Hospital in Salt Lake and is gifted with more common sense than one would be lucky to have. I love to do projects with him. It's like he can read my mind and hands me just the right tool at just the right time or suggests things I'd never considered. Love 'em both but they are so different.

[Earl49]

Common sense is the rarest element in the universe. Some times I wonder how some of these people manage to dress and feed themselves, or function at any level as an adult. I once read that there are three kinds of people in the world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder "what happened"?

[J Patrick]

...when you’re stupid...you’re stupid for a long time...

[KevWind]

Humm ??? While I think simplistic glittering generality probably misses the mark.

But on the other hand

Beyond the obvious lack of common sense in behavior (i.e such as focusing on a smart phone screen while driving etc. ) I wonder if there is any relative correlation to the apparent rise in the lack of "critical thinking" involved in the almost unfathomable, increasing numbers, that whole heartedly buy into specious conspiracy theory. ???

[rllink]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Common sense is the rarest element in the universe. Some times I wonder how some of these people manage to dress and feed themselves, or function at any level as an adult. I once read that there are three kinds of people in the world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder "what happened"?

Exactly, and I've personally found my common sense to be the right common sense. It has guided me seventy years by golly. Any other common sense is not common sense.

[Mr. Jelly]

From managing many people for many years I learned that most everyone's common sense is different. Often no two are the same. But that's common

[rllink]

I grew up on a farm and my uncle, our neighbor, used to preface everything with, "just common sense would tell you." I mean, anything you didn't agree with him he would prove his point by invoking common sense to the point it was annoying. But then one day a corn cob fell into an auger and he reached down to grab it before it got pulled all the way in. The auger caught the finger of his glove and in a micro second he lost three fingers and half his hand.

Now you have to account that I come from a large family of meat eaters and sympathy is a rare commodity in our family. After that incident, whenever my uncle wanted to point out something my dad was doing that he disapproved of and prefaced it by saying, "common sense," my dad would interrupt him and say that anyone with common sense wouldn't stick their hand in an auger. Also, years later, we got this brand new auger and it had a big warning label that said not to get hands or feet near the anger opening. My dad used to point it out and tell my uncle all the time that they put that there for him. Okay, just fun memories of growing up on the farm.

I think when it comes to farm accidents and industrial accidents common sense gets overwritten by complacency. That's what got my uncle's fingers. He had enough common sense not to reach in there for that for cob, he had just become complacent working around grain augers every day. I think a lot of things blamed on a lack of common sense have underlying causes.

[RedJoker]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

From managing many people for many years I learned that most everyone's common sense is different. Often no two are the same. But that's common

I'm glad you said this. I was just thinking that I can't think of a single person that wouldn't think they have common sense but most everyone else is lacking. I hear SOOOO many people say that there is no common sense in the world anymore without recognizing that the lack of common sense includes them as well.

I am continually astounded by my own stupidity...

[fumei]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Humm ??? While I think simplistic glittering generality probably misses the mark.

But on the other hand

Beyond the obvious lack of common sense in behavior (i.e such as focusing on a smart phone screen while driving etc. ) I wonder if there is any relative correlation to the apparent rise in the lack of "critical thinking" involved in the almost unfathomable, increasing numbers, that whole heartedly buy into specious conspiracy theory. ???

I would say that there probably is a correlation.

I recall many years ago, on a technical forum, that someone related that they were taking their son out of a major university because a required course was on critical thinking. He did not want his son questioning things.

He had quite a few "interesting" ideas...