Common sense, what exactly does it mean to you?

Well for me it means having a basic knowledge of anything. 

Common sense is actually uncommon sense.

I think common sense means finding solution smartly thinking smartly for ur problems..

Common sense is a Sound Judgment derived from experience rather than Study.  If a  child falls down while trying to learn Walking, we do not chide the child. Because, as I said above, the child did not have common sense derived from experience.

Where as if a well grown up boy or Girl falls down, he or she will be scolded for lack of Common sense. Because a certain amount of common sense is expected from a grown up boy or  Girl.

For me common sense is the ability to respond to situations spontaneously based on previous experience of self or others. It also means staying calm in the face of adversity. This may be asking too much, but probably that is the reason why we say common sense is very uncommon. 

Good morning and happy weekend to all.

@ rambabu, the example you have given lacks common sense because a child falling while learning to walk is a natural process and it gains experience through each fall. In the same manner why should a grown up boy or girl be penalized if hey fall? Common sense demands that you look for a reason as to why they fell

It is said common sense has become very uncommon these days. common sense is nothing but skill or knowledge that any one has without any specialized education. There are many day to day situations when you need decide things. Most of these an average intelligent person can solve without any specialized training. This is common sense.  

I am reminded of an incident that happened recently..while reaching school we need to pass through a narrow lane thanks to the minority politics of our local leader, and since it is just 5 feet wide when a two wheeler passes those walking need to move to the side and make way. The other day a huge Boulder had landed there from a nearby compound wall making it even more congested. For two days everybody including the staff just managed to move over it and around it but did not once think of moving the stone until a few high school boys got rid of it. So the youngsters had better common sense.

The following quote best explains what common sense is

Common sense is not a gift, its a punishment because you have to deal with everyone who doesn't have it!

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

The following quote best explains what common sense is

Common sense is not a gift, its a punishment because you have to deal with everyone who doesn't have it!

At times it is the simple uneducated people who come up with the most sensible suggestions to a problem... I have seen this happen scores of time !

usha manohar wrote:

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

The following quote best explains what common sense is

Common sense is not a gift, its a punishment because you have to deal with everyone who doesn't have it!

At times it is the simple uneducated people who come up with the most sensible suggestions to a problem... I have seen this happen scores of time !

True...I am sure you must have heard this joke, it is not so funny but sums up the fact about common sense really well. A well-educated and cultured lady goes to buy vegetables as her servant is absent. The lady selling vegetables asks this gentlewoman if she is very well-educated and the woman haughtily replies, yes, of course, but how did you guess? The vegetables seller says, you look so bright and intelligent but you put the tomatoes in the bag first and then piled potatoes over them!

That is what common sense is! lol :)

Common sense to me is the power of judgement to react during our day to day life. A person's practical experience helps him/her gain common sense. One who lacks common sense is very tough to handle.

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

The following quote best explains what common sense is

Common sense is not a gift, its a punishment because you have to deal with everyone who doesn't have it!

At times it is the simple uneducated people who come up with the most sensible suggestions to a problem... I have seen this happen scores of time !

True...I am sure you must have heard this joke, it is not so funny but sums up the fact about common sense really well. A well-educated and cultured lady goes to buy vegetables as her servant is absent. The lady selling vegetables asks this gentlewoman if she is very well-educated and the woman haughtily replies, yes, of course, but how did you guess? The vegetables seller says, you look so bright and intelligent but you put the tomatoes in the bag first and then piled potatoes over them!

That is what common sense is! lol :)

True Kalyani, you see some sales girls at the super market instead of gently placing, literally throwing biscuit packets as they do the billing, shows a lack of common sense ... I make it a point to tell them not to do so since biscuits get crushed when they do that. It is part of the training and partly a persons understanding and assimilation of ideas and experiences..

Yes training helps create awareness. As the service sector is growing very fast exposure to right training is very important. Otherwise you ae at mercy of common sense of others which is very uncommon.

Social etiquette is something that needs to be developed if it is not inculcated in childhood and at home..This one below is a nice quote on common sense..

“It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say 'It's as plain as the nose on your face.' But how much of the nose on your face can you see, unless someone holds a mirror up to you?” 
― Isaac Asimov

If someone lacks common sense then he/she makes his/her life as well as others life quite miserable. Common sense is very important in life or else one becomes a laughing stock. 

Sometimes we see that even the highly educated people are lacking in the most basic day today knowledge. It may be because of lack of experience or the failure of application of their mind to things around them.. some people also have a herd mentality which stops them from doing what they think would be the right thing to do..

Having the trend of herd mentality is very common. Those who believe in following others without using their brain create quite a mess.

People get so carried away at times that they put their lives at risk, one can see people recklessly overtaking following one vehicle , not realising that the driver in the front vehicle has calculated the distance and will safely overtake leaving them to face the oncoming traffic.I have seen several accidents take place while overtaking by following another vehicle which is so very risky and totally lacks simple common sense..

Came across two very humorous quotes on common sense.

" Common sense is like deodorant, people who need it never use it "

and

" Common sense is not a gift , it is a punishment, because you have to deal with everyone who does not have it"