by Ann Johnson

Created on: October 01, 2008

Now there's a question we ask ourselves nearly every day. What happened to good old common sense? Why do we have to have a sticker on a hair dryer that suggests we do not use them whilst in the shower? Who would?

Why do we teach our kids to stop first and look before crossing a road? It's all about keeping safe, and it's our job to keep our children safe- from strangers, from hot substances, from stairs, from sharp knives and from all the other things in this big bad world that can injure them or take them from us. It is also our job to teach them to think.

Recently, at work, I was told I had to read the companys' policies and procedures. As I settled down and began to read, I found it disturbing that they needed to "state the bleedin' obvious" in a document to be read by supposedly intelligent employees. The same employees that management thought were intelligent enough to be given the position in the first place. Now they were treating us like imbeciles who need to be told the rules and regulations of life- of being a decent human being who doesn't intrude on anyone elses' way of life, at least whilst at work.

What has happened to the world that now we need signs everywhere to tell us what to do and where to do it. Are we all so scared of being sued by someone who is too stupid to do the right thing?

Signs tell us to put our cigarettes in the bin with the sand in it, not the bin with the paper in it which is right beside the cigarette bin. I wonder why- maybe because using the incorrect bin would most certainly start a fire.

Don't stand on the edge of the ledge- why, because we might fall off? Don't stand on the edge of the water-why, because we might fall in? Don't put your fingers in the machine with the sharp blades spinning around- why, because they will remove your fingers from your hand?

Nearly every action we perform during a day requires us to just stop for a quick second and assess the situation and think. Think about how to do it. Think about how NOT to do it. What could happen?

It is what we teach our children from day one. Think! I can't count how many times I have said that to my children. Just stop and think for a minute. We were given brains to help us to solve problems and instincts to keep us out of certain danger, but people ignore the signs, the feelings, and go ahead and do stupid things.

Running across a busy highway and dodging traffic might be a bit of a rush the first time you make it across, but the next time you might not be so lucky. Lifting

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