How to think for yourself/develop common sense!

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What exactly is common sense?

Common sense is the practice of acting and thinking intelligently in everyday situations. Common sense is about exercising “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.”

  • When you use your own experiences and general knowledge in a situation. By using your own intelligence it basically prevents you from making any irrational mistakes or decisions.
  • “Common sense” might also be only situational to some aspects on your life, while other aspects lack common sense.

We are all human and we all make mistakes. Some people just more than others because they don't think for themselves. I am quite an observer of people and I am flabbergasted by the choices some people make in certain situations. It honestly seems as if people do not think for themselves anymore and they don't think further than their noses.

Our brains work in mysterious ways to ensure survival in a very crazy world. We all have a natural fight or flight reaction to certain situations and sometimes this can land us in hot water if we react instead of reflect. The biggest issue is that we follow a habit instead of challenging each situation.

How do we override “common sense?”

We maintain our own sense of reality

Each and every one of us creates a reality through our own experiences. For the biggest part we know, our worlds are just a little part of a much larger picture. Unfortunately for some people their sense of reality becomes the only sense of reality and they believe they can manipulate situations to turn out the way they want them to be. Sometimes irrational behavior steps in and often enough also insanity.

Associative thinking

We are so used to doing things a certain way that we do not assess each and every situation. We don’t think before we do things anymore, because we assume that it is the way it is supposed to be. When we apply what we know in a present situation, by merely doing what we did the previous time, we override common sense.

Absolute certainty!

For some people there are just no grey areas. There is either a right or a wrong way but nothing in between. This kicks common sense into the corner because that person will believe that there way is only one way to do something.

Stubbornness!

Stubbornness is the cause of many irrational and unjustifiable decisions. Let’s look at teenagers. Most teenagers follow their own heads and land in trouble because they believe that they know everything.

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How can we improve our common sense?

Common sense can only be improved with practice. You need to start thinking more logically.

When you have to complete a given task, you have to ask yourself the following questions:

  • What exactly am I supposed to do?
  • Why am I doing this?
  • Is there an easier way to do this?

To know the specifics of a given task, can save you time and often embarrassment.

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If common sense was as common as the name implied then people would never land in certain situations. People would not be spending money on things that they do not really need. Young people would not spend their money on buying alcohol and drugs and exposing themselves to things that they should not be involved with.

Unfortunately people do explore, but somewhere along the line, you should actually learn your lesson, so that you don't do the same thing again.

  • One of the best ways to improve your logical thinking is to play logic games on your phone or computer. Games are not always as bad as people think.
  • Put in effort to read more. Reading broadens your general knowledge and it improves your vocabulary and memory.
  • Another way to improve logical thinking is to compile a list of open ended questions. Think of various ways to answer these questions.

If you ask a question like:

What is 5 + 5?

Most of us would instinctively know that the answer is ten.

But

If you ask a question like:

Why do Giraffes have long necks?

You would possibly answer that they need long necks to eat the leaves high up in the trees. (Not everyone would come up with the same answer though, although that might be the most logical answer.)

It is always good to try and better ourselves. If you improve your logical thinking skills then you might improve the way that people see you. Teach yourself to think more critically and many doors might open for you.



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4 comments
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Thanks for sharing this creative post and I do hope people get to develop their mentality and ways of thinking as well @giantbear

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