Uncommon sense
27 May 2004 
in the early evening 
Matt Winckler
There was a time once, and not long ago, when ignorance and stupidity were things to be ashamed of.
Today, it seems that many people walk around proudly flouting their ignorance and stupidity, and not only do they get away with it, but they are lauded by their fellow ignoramuses, of which there are many. There is a witty saying that goes, “It’s too bad that common sense isn’t.” Entirely true in one sense, if we accept that “common sense” is a static definition that points to something that was present in society only fifty or sixty years ago. However, from another standpoint, “common sense” is alive and well. It’s just that the sense that is common doesn’t have much sense at all.
One example of vast ignorance (if not stupidity) is that of the celebrity actor. Here is someone with an audience of literally millions of people even when not on the big screen, and more often than not he uses that audience to make a hazardous release of brain gas, revealing the vacuous and questionable thoughts that roam freely within his vaunted cranium.
(Perhaps actors are a poor example, being that I have my own theory on actors’ intelligence. You see, I recognize that it takes some remarkable ability and/or talent to become a successful actor. Therefore, it seems to me that the reason you see so few really intelligent actors is that anyone with both remarkable acting ability and remarkable intelligence are drafted by intelligence agencies as spies.)
There are so many ideas out there that simply do not warrant even a conscious acknowledgement by society–ideas that are so inherently ridiculous that they should be laughed out of the public arena–yet these silly ideas garner the attention of the mass media, and consideration by our politicians, and debate amongst ourselves. And not all of these ideas are put forth by genuinely stupid people. At this point it’s time for an example.
Months ago I talked to someone who believed that the universe was created out of nothing. He also believed there is no God. He honestly believed that until the universe was created, absolutely nothing existed, including nothing (whatever that means). Then, in this state of “void” (referring to absolutely nothing, with nothing present at all, not even the nothing), suddenly the ordered universe appeared. To snip out a bunch of “scientific” mumbling, the belief went: “In the beginning, there was nothing, and then there was the universe.” He reasoned that since nothing existed (including the laws of physics), this “void” had no rules against matter being spontaneously created, so all of a sudden one day matter was…spontaneously created. No event sparked it off or anything, evidently the void just decided that it didn’t want to be a void anymore and poof we have ordered universe, including laws of physics that contradict those that “created” it.
Right.
This idea is one of those that should be laughed off the stage of life, and reminded to not let the door thwack it on the backside on its way out. This fellow was smart enough to reject the evolutionist’s line of thinking, but his eyes were blinded to the truth of creation by the Creator. So out of necessity, he came up with this scheme whereby he had a spontaneous creation without having to acknowledge the Creator. The only problem is, the idea is stupid and makes no sense! Yet this was a doctorate student in microbiology (or something like that), who at least claimed to have been developing this theory with the help and input of his professors and other students.
I yearn for the days when we could call that which is stupid “stupid” and laugh at ridiculous ideas without being branded as “intolerant” or having our laugh condemned as “hate speech.” It’s time for people to wake up and smell the common sense. But to assume that such a change will come about via cultural means is a grave mistake. Culture is not our saviour, nor is politics. It is not until the Gospel triumphs over the nations that we will see the true return of the sense that is no longer common. And that day will come. It might not be tomorrow, and it might not be this millenium, but it will come.