September 10 2012 Can common sense be trusted and accepted, or should it be questioned?

Thousands of years ago, Egyptians thought that common sense came from their heart, not their brain. Now, most us believe that common sense determines what people should wear, whom they should respect, which rules to follow, and what kind of lives to lead. However, I think that it should be questioned.

Hundreds of years ago, Korea was a poor country. Unlike today, there were no electronics, modern plumbing, whiteboards, or even brick houses. Boys were supposed to have proper education and work in the field with their father, while girls were forced to work in the house, learning how to become a good mother. Even for a small mistake, there was no mercy. Children’s teachers and parents whip them so that their wounds took long to heal. Kids a hundred years ago would have to work ten times harder than adults do in the twenty-first century, but it was normal. Believe it or not, back then, that was common sense and people who questioned this were cruelly punished. Today, kids think that Children’s Day is a day of fun and happiness. However, it was instituted because some adults believed that kids had to be recognized and appreciated for work they were doing. Older people say that we need to remember the true meaning of Children’s Day.

In the United States, slavery was going on and there was a different type of common sense. Keeping black slaves was as normal as respecting your schoolteacher. Blacks were white people’s property, treated like animals and forced to work long hours without pay. Many knew that this was wrong and had to be eliminated. Finally, the north and south fought a war, many dying to abolish slavery. Eventually, most countries ended slavery in the late 1800’s, but today, some blacks still have a reputation for being poor and homeless. Racism continues today due to traces of the attitude, which accepted slavery, an attitude once considered common sense.

Based on these two situations, common sense changes over time. Nobody knows whether this might change again in a thousand years. We should continue asking ourselves if what we consider common sense is actually correct.