Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Farewell, Common Sense

Due to lack of interest, Ask Miz Ging is being discontinued.  Evidentally, other than the two questions I saved from the original posts, no one has any burning issues they want to discuss. *lol*  In light of that, I share the following...which makes a lot of sense...Common Sense, in fact:


 An Obituary printed in the London Times.....Absolutely Brilliant !!

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, 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 valuable
lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies such as don't spend more than you can earn and reliable strategies like adults, not children, are in charge.

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports like that of a 6-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.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

9 comments:

  1. The death of common sense is a gift to those who have none...for the survivors of common sense...truth...honor and trying... will be lost... until another offspring is born...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ginger, I did have a burning question, and tried to comment this morning but the page wasn't current so I stepped out for several hours, to come back and find it discontinued. Not Fair!
    My question is: why do some critique partners feel the need to bash your work, offer only nasty remarks about your word choices, research, character actions? What motivates such people?
    I guess you won't reply since it is discontinued.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A thought-provoking post, Ginger. The BBC has decided not to refer to 'anno domini' and 'before Christ' so as not to offend non-Christians. The annual display of lights in Oxford Street is not to be called, 'Christmas Lights' and a bar was recently threatened with closure for showing Christian videos. I am no longer a practicing Christian, but it is a valid religion, so why is it considered offensive for people here to practice their beliefs. Common Sense is dead indeed.

    BTW, I don't trash your chapters, Diane, I think you write beautifully.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi, Ginger,

    Along with the demise of common sense, I particularly mourn the death of responsibility. Nobody seems willing to step up to the plate and make a commitment, or to acknowledge complicity and make amends when something goes wrong.

    Hugs,
    Lisabet

    ReplyDelete
  5. Diane,
    I think you were the only one upset that I didn't have Ask Miz Ging today. :) But I'd love to express my opinion on your question. To me, belonging to critique groups is difficult because you have to constantly remind yourself that the membership consists of people from beginners to pros. Everyone has an opinion, some are right and some aren't. The tough job is deciphering which is which and also deciding what suggestions enhance your writing, and when someone doesn't know shit from shinola and felt obligated to offer some suggestions. Like Anita says...you're writing is beautiful so don't let anyone tamper with your style.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anita,
    I consider myself Christian, but I haven't found the "limb" on that tree where I feel comfortable perching. Things are taken far too literally, in my opinion. The Bible is the basis for all Christianity, but how it's perceived reminds me of the game of "telephone" we played as a child. Line up, whisper something to the first child who then passes it on, then so on and so on, and at the end, it comes out nothing like the original. If you add in that the Bible has been translated by man time and time again,...well, there you go, and there went Common Sense. Someone's relationship with their higher power shouldn't depend on where they park their butt on Sunday. *lol*

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lisabet,
    How true. Our President is a good example of that. He knew what he was stepping into when he took office, yet finger pointing seems to be the only way he operates. BUT...enough about him.

    I've been guilty of passing gas in a crowded store aisle and acting like I wasn't the guilty one, but if I make a mistake, I usually own it. In the end, people know who the responsible party is so no one is fooling anyone. "Man Up" seems to have lost meaning. I agree. Maybe we need a cross-gender saying. *lol*

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anita and Ginger, thank you for your uplifting words about my writing. There are ways to critique that don't have to make the writer feel like an idiot and hopeless at their craft...this person doesn't understand that.
    I have decided to no longer crit her work and delete her crits of mine. The moderator agreed with that.
    And common sense and responsibility is definitely sparse these days. I say it all the time when I read a newspaper or listen to the news.

    ReplyDelete

Romance Reviews

The Romance Reviews