Use Your Common Sense Day

Use Your Common Sense Day is every year on November 4th. This special day is meant to remind us of the importance of using common sense in our daily lives. Common sense is the knowledge of simple things and the ability to apply them in life – for instance, we know that metal should not be put in the microwave, or that connected electrical appliances should not be touched with wet hands.

History

Use Your Common Sense Day is on the birthday of Will Rogers, who famously said that common sense doesn’t seem to be that common. This day serves as a reminder to all of us to use common sense in order to avoid undesirable consequences and dangers. Unfortunately, in the modern era of social media, it seems that many people have forgotten about the importance of common sense. There is now an initiative to include a common sense subject in school curriculums.

The first person to speak of common sense was Aristotle, who described it as the ability of animals and people to process the flow of information, memories, imagination and move on to different judgments. He believed that only people have rational thinking, which goes beyond common sense.

Interesting facts

• Rene Descartes believed that all people have the same and sufficient amount of common sense, but not everyone is able to apply it correctly.
• During the Enlightenment, the term “common sense” was used to express approval and good taste in a person.
• Today, common sense is the basic level of knowledge necessary to live safely and intelligently.
• The author of the holiday – Bud Bilanich – is a motivational speaker, writer, and blogger. He has written 19 books on how to succeed and why common sense is needed for this.

How to take part

Take some time to reflect on the past – look at events from a different angle and think about where you made mistakes and how you could have avoided them. If you made a mistake, just acknowledge it and move on, but be sure to work on the mistakes in order to prevent them in the future. Organizing a common sense party is another way to take part – collect funny memes about people’s stupid mistakes, and discuss with friends how those mistakes could have been avoided.

When is Use Your Common Sense Day in 2024?

Use Your Common Sense Day is observed on November 4 each year.

Observations