Common Sense

What is common sense?

As per dictionary: common sense. noun. Britannica Dictionary definition of COMMON SENSE. [noncount]: the ability to think and behave in a reasonable way and to make good decisions.

Sometimes we need go to back to the basics and review where we are. The groundwork. The foundation that you have. What is your foundation?

Some people also call it roots. We’ve been taught that foundation lies in family, in the country where you live or you are born, in your group circles, foundation might mean the career and many other things. The beauty of humankind and its intelligence is that we have one word and each as its own way of perceiving, understanding it. And just like that we are back to square one: common sense.

What does it mean to behave in a reasonable way? For me, it is not about betraying myself, acting without integrity and not being firm in what I consider my foundation. Cause when the foundation is shaky, how can you expect extraordinary experiences if you cannot receive them or sustain them?

Sometimes, common sense leaves the building and never returns.

Each has examples of common sense flying out the window. From the people who listen to loud music on their phones without headphones in public, to the ones that cannot read a room and all they care is about themselves feeling good. Yes, we all hold narcissistic traits. It is part of the collective shadow. The misunderstanding from my point of view comes from the ability to make good decisions. Who said that a good decision is an easy decision? At the end of the day, we are the sum of our decisions and each decision holds responsibility. And is such a thing as a decision without responsibility? You might say: I decide to have no responsibility and just enjoy life. Isn’t it your responsibility them to create a life of pleasure? And if so, what is your measure of pleasure? You can go full hedonistic mode, or maybe find a balance?

Common sense as taught in my family was about how I choose to interact with the outer world. Have respect for other people. Say “Hello” and “Goodbye” when entering a room and when leaving it. Knowing when to shut up and when to speak. Discerning. Giving thanks for what you have and receive. Manners – at table, in the house, in public. Faith in life. Respect traditions and customs.

While all those things are beautiful, no one will ever teach you how to talk to yourself, how to take care of yourself, how to hold your yourself accountable. Life teaches you that. While it is a beautiful thing learning from other people’s mistakes, making your own mistakes is just the cherry on top of the cake for me. Because I get to learn on my own. I get to deep dive in my inner world and work on my foundation. I get to be my own advisor and best friend. I get to hold myself, pick myself up and learn my lesson. What they did not tell us was that mistakes do not necessarily are accompanied by suffering.

Mistakes might come with remorse, shame, guilt, anger – for a minute. We allow ourselves to feel what needs to be felt and then we get up and search for the silver lining – or the golden thread.

Common sense for me equals making decisions that are in alignment with my foundation.

My foundation is built on what I cherish about myself, my values.

My values are states of being that I have experienced in layers and layers. The deeper I experience them, the more I am called to embody them. You cannot talk about Respect while you don’t have it for yourself. You cannot give people what you have not given to yourself. Oh, well, in some cases yes, you can. You give them a taste of the level of respect that you are in that moment. But it is not the essence. While my grandmother said that respect is a given, respect for me is a gift. I gift it to myself and others, and… the trick is to have no expectations. Eventually people will show you who they are. Trust that.

I was told that my standards are high and I’m looking for perfection. Maybe. I am my most acclaimed critic and while that voice speaks to me in a different tone (since when I was in my 20s), my standards are all about my boundaries. And my boundaries have nothing to do with the other people, are about me and how I keep myself aligned on the path that I am.

I truly thought that common-sense would-be the foundation in the shamanic community. And it’s not the case. Great words pop up: enlightenment, unconditional love, Christ consciousness,

The preachers and the teachers, when we are all just in different levels of understanding and embodying COMMON SENSE. That unique spark that links us all together: Awareness.

Common sense is an extension of self-awareness and social awareness. It’s about knowing who you are and how you influence your surroundings, it’s about being on good terms with yourself that you don’t need to prove yourself worthy or search for external validation. It really isn’t a crucifixion competition. It’s not about getting attention; it is about how we use our own attention. Common sense is keeping an eye on yourself, you path and another eye on the community.

It's the old saying: Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny. (Lao Tzu)

Common sense is the ability to self-reflect and know your character. The good news is that character can be changed, we don’t need to attach ourselves to it. We can change if we want to. The bad news is when we fall in the trap of self-righteousness.

Can you see? Every word, every conversation, every interaction is about COMMON SENSE.

Are you teachable enough to teach yourself common sense? Are you flexible enough to enrich your definition of it? What is your foundation?

When I feel around me people rushing, I take a mental note, and I distance myself. It is not my race. I don’t race towards anything because I’m comfortable not knowing where I will end up. Yes, like everybody I do have a vision about my life, some goals, a direction that I want to go, but these are not fixed. Fixed are my intentions. How I want to live and experience life.

I was so impatient when I was younger, then I started to work for the things I wanted, and I was shown that a steady foundation will always bring me more of the Sap of Life. The unexpected turns, the change in direction always followed my intentions. My wild nature has been expressed through last minute decisions or just sudden decisions. I did that. Patience taught me more about love, kindness, grace, flow than rushing into things and deciding to do the aftermath after throwing myself head on. I’ve said yes to life and yes to mistakes, yes to testing my intuition and my own inner power. I’ve created for myself “the society’s dream life” only to get closer to my own dream life. And yes, common sense at the beginning was all about social awareness and less about self-awareness. But being able to hold multiple truths, the scale of polarity and choosing to be an observer, has never felt more gracious and delicious in my body.

Are you reasonable to make good decisions? Are you in alignment with your heart and mind?

Mind is the magic wand while heart is the captain of the ship called Living.

In service to the journey,

Alexandra, Guardian of Ianara