"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Thursday 27 June 2013

Thought for Thursday

I received the following in an e-mail, and it struck a chord.  So I wanted to share with those who may not have seen it.

It's a simple message of how we have strayed from our path, and added enough unnecessary complications to make our lives sometimes seem like a burden instead of a time of gratitude and pleasure.
A thought provoking sunset.
It's the simple things in life which honestly give us
the most pleasure.  Why do we have to complicate
everything to "improve it"?
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long
ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:


- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more 
than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).


His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned, but overbearing, regulations were set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone.

9 comments:

  1. My gosh! I so like that that I copy and pasted it to our facebook page...have you been to our "African Bliss 100% natural soap" page?

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    Replies
    1. AB - Nope - can you please send me a link? :)

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  2. Beauty, dude! I love it! SO right on.
    I'm a therapist in my day job and see this kind of stuff everyday. I feel, sometimes, like I'm trying to resurrect Mr. Common Sense from the dead! (I like to think I do it with a tremendous amount of charm...)

    :-)

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    Replies
    1. Lindsey - Perhaps you could print and frame it, and hang it in your office - to assist you in getting the message across LOL

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  3. One of the greatest posts I have ever read! Everyone on the internet needs to read this~ the rat

    I still hate word verification. You can turn it off you know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mr Rat - Thanks - glad it resounded with you too.

      I've had so much spam I had to turn on WV - I'll turn it off again, and see what happens. If the spam returns, then I'm afraid that WV is here to stay...

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  4. HA! Thanks for posting this! So very true!

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.