Village boy Impressions

Common Sense is Dead! Today we mourn the passing of an old friend and mother, Common Sense, who has been our teacher and caretaker for many years. For years we had heard of the deaths of her namesakes in Europe and North America but we did not realise that the end of our own beloved Common Sense was near. Like her namesakes who passed before her, no one knows for sure how old she was, since her birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. Affectionately known to many as Sound Thinking, Good Faith, Rational Thought,  and  Moral Fortitude,  she selflessly devoted herself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without fuss, fanfare, or drama. But alas! Never again will logic and good conscience grace our presence. She was a most loving mother, and will be remembered as having taught us such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain, The early bird gets the worm,  Life isn't always

1.      A person who abuses others is hardly ever asked to stop. We don't want to stand up to the person doing wrong. Rather, we ask the victim(s) to tolerate the abuse. And if the victim refuses to accept our advice, we conclude that he/she is a bad person - not the abusive person. People who abuse others are like 'small gods' to be complained about but not stood up to. They are treated like victims to be understood and pitied and their victims are to be advised and praised for tolerating abuse. 2.       Praying in tongues is a shouting competition. A test of endurance. At the first Pentecost, we are told that the tongues (languages) of the apostles were understood by a multitude of devout men from 'every nation under heaven' (Acts 2: 1 - 8). In our time, no human being can understand the tongues we speak; an endless stream of discordant sounds emitted by people in seeming agony and disarray.  3.      We swat a fly with a sledgehammer but always attemp