Sincerely, Scotty – Common Sense
“The Ten Commandments display was removed from the Alabama Supreme Court building. There was a durn good reason for the move. You can’t post: Thou Shalt Not Steal, Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery, Thou Shall Not Lie, in a building full of Lawyers and Politicians. It just don’t make sense.” – Country Wisdom
OBITUARY
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn’t always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).
His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student; but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Some schools give condoms to the boys, as boys will be boys. Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.
He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and Ima Whiner. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
Unfortunately, the above obituary is too true. I’ve noticed that there aren’t many people like (former) Judge Moore who several years ago stood up for his monument of the Ten Commandments. His stand cost him his job. How many of us would be willing to do that? What ever happened to “His Rights?” We seem to hear from “My Rights” and “Ima Whiner” way too much. I guess they’re the only ones left. James Thom once said, “Too often we seek justice just for us.” It is those people who stopped school prayer, who are fighting to remove “God” from our Pledge of Allegiance. And we have people who file frivolous lawsuits to gain something for themselves without caring for the people around them. It seems that Responsibility and Reason have, indeed, passed on as well.
I decided I would search the internet for “common sense.” It really opened my eyes. There was nothing that addressed what you and I would call common, every day, horse sense. There were pages and pages of references on political common sense, common sense for taxpayers, several references, historical in nature, referencing Thomas Paine, others on morality, and finally some essays on atheism. I could make the list longer, but as I reviewed the first few pages, I found there were none on theology or religion of any kind. For a while, I wondered why, but the reason quickly came to me – Faith is deteriorating as well! Perhaps, in the eyes of some, faith and common sense don’t go down the same path, but I don’t really accept that. Common sense and faith work well for me – maybe my thinking isn’t as logical as some of the writers in the references I mentioned.
Faith is not logical in the scholastic sense. We can’t give it a mathematical definition nor can we apply pure logic. Faith is intangible, personal, and is accepted without visible, scientific proof. But scientists and atheists alike don’t have all the answers. Yet, many scientists have a strong belief in God or a Supreme Being because they don’t have all the answers. The Ten Commandments are guides for us to live by. They guide civilization and society to develop in an orderly manner with respect for one another, just as the later teachings of Christ carried it to another level. Not surprisingly, many atheists follow the Ten Commandments and many of the Christian teachings even though they don’t have any faith in God. Why? Because it makes sense to live by these rules.
As a final thought on this subject, I’d like to tell you about something I once saw in Houston on the freeway. A gray-haired man in a tee shirt was riding a motorcycle on the freeway. The back of the shirt said, “Live your life such that the preacher won’t have to tell lies about you.” Now, that’s common sense! I can think of nothing more appropriate.
Sincerely,
Scotty