Getting Back to Common Sense
By J. Jeff Toler for Shenandoah Christian Alliance j.toler@sca4christ.org
Though I wish it were, my livelihood is not from writing. I work for a property management company. I assist condominium and homeowner association (HOA) property owners with managing their documents. In fact, that’s my job title: Documents Manager. If that sounds impressive, bear in mind my job is to manage documents.
I work with realtors, loan officers, underwriters, insurance agents, bankers, and property owners. My company manages over 200 associations—providing services for over 13,000 addresses.
What I do relieves the property managers and accountants of the burden of doing the work themselves—which they used to do. It’s important work to be sure, but nothing like sending a rocket to a space station.
People like living in a community that provides property maintenance—lawn care, irrigation, building upkeep, for example, appealing. Because condos offer affordable living in a managed environment, with much of the basic necessities provided, the board of administrators are (usually) happy to pay a property management company.
But here is what I am discovering: each and every year, the upkeep increases. Problems—and people—demand more and more attention, and as communities age, frustration increases.
It’s occurred to me that not everyone can keep pace with the changing demands. Ironically, even “affordable living” includes problems that a lower purchase price may not offset. Master property and liability insurance, for example, has doubled and even tripled in the last three years. Sometimes I think it doesn’t make much sense how complicated things have become. Welcome to America!
I must reluctantly admit, I find myself thinking more and more every day, “I’m getting too old for this.”
I have to be careful, such rumination is not a healthy sign. I already know from experience it usually leads to regret, frustration, and of course, stress. If work defines us, I know how some can develop pretty sorry definitions.
Like fine wine, (or so I’m told) some people age well. But with others… they tend to age like vinegar. As evidence on a vastly larger scale, our country’s last two chief executives both entered office as septuagenarians—both were 78. They either were or are considered to be at the “middle of old age.” Since biology is but one part of the aging equation outcome, these two men could scarcely be further apart in terms of stamina, intellect, and wisdom.
Sadly, Joe Biden has ended his political career and personal life in ignominy. Recounting his dismal record as president in any detail is unnecessary for this venue. Most of us know it well already.
His election as President in 2020 is still considered by many as controversial. His record as a father is disappointing by almost any standard. His pardon of his clearly flawed son, after saying repeatedly he never would, is emblematic of a less-than-ideal standard. Hunter Biden is an epic disaster in terms of trust and integrity. Dr. Jordan Peterson analyzed the facts in this YouTube episode: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrYpGQVJy6w]
For President Trump, his election to his second term in office is nothing short of remarkable. It’s already tempting to predict that by the end of this term, he will have established a gauge unrivaled by many, if not most, of his predecessors. He is not precisely a self-made man—his father, Fred Trump, bequeathed to him a very impressive real estate development business in the toughest city in America—New York. Yet, we now know that he parlayed this business inheritance into building a fortune far greater than his father’s.
I can’t claim to know what influence Fred Trump had on his son, but it’s safe to say Donald Trump learned the importance of appreciating the hard work of other people, the love of building big things, and the art of making good deals.
It’s tempting to theorize that integrity and character for the successful man, or woman, will usually engender valuable social benefits. Without them, making valuable contributions is all but impossible on a large scale. But are these traits evident in younger people? Are they still handed down generationally? Once again, as we sift through the evidence, it just doesn’t look so good.
The Revolution of Common Sense
Of the many things President Trump aims to do is restore American culture. Roger Kimball, in a talk delivered earlier this year, said, “Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald Trump declared that he and his supporters were “the party of common sense.” [https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/restoring-american-culture/]
Then, Trump said, “We will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense. It’s all about common sense.”
René Descartes
René Descartes said that common sense was “the most widely distributed thing in the world.” Sorry René, from my perspective, after 400 years, common sense is not so common anymore. But just what is it really?
Well, we know what it’s not. It’s not pretending that men can be women. It’s not pretending that we don’t even know what a woman is. It makes no sense to “to open the borders of [our] country and then to spend [billions] of taxpayer dollars to feed, house, and nurture the millions of illegal migrants who have poured in.”
Common sense, like many of the most important concepts we say we still cherish, like love, or justice, or knowledge, or even the common good, may not be so easy to define… especially now. But as Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said when inveighing on pornography, “we know it when we see it.” If nothing else, we feel its absence when it’s replaced by incessant cultural tropes.
This is why I believe that in this present day and age, we may be seeing the first glimmers of the golden age Trump is promoting: the trashing of the dominant vibe and replacing it with an altogether new one: the vibe of optimism, and hopeful anticipation.
These are things that encourage diligence in our work, loyalty to our employers, and consideration to our fellow employees. I can say confidently these same things also apply to our civic-mindedness. Our community.
The era we are likely leaving behind, created too much angst and anger. The alter of diversity upon which we were compelled to worship offers nothing in building a community. Social justice is not really justice after all. Racism is ugly no matter who promotes and practices it.
So, are we really going to have a revolution of common sense?
I’m all ready for it if it means finding out where all of our tax money has been going—and to whom it’s going. I’m down with putting a stop to the “waste, fraud, and abuse” I keep reading about.
I’ll be happy to revolt if our aim is to rediscover what made these Unites States truly united. I’m with those who value the one thing we have nearly lost: common sense.
- “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment. All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech. Common sense and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine. —Proverbs 8:12-14
* An “old saw” is a common saying, proverb, or maxim, often considered trite or cliché, that has been repeated frequently over time.
Photo by Madalyn Cox on Unsplash
