Common Sense
The following is an extract of the Headmaster’s speech in the Graduation Ceremony of Promotion XX.
The complete speech can be read in English and Spanish on our Website
Promotion XX, as you all know, our school motto, Facite Omnia Sapienter, means “Do everything with common sense”. I recently read an article on the death of Common Sense. It was called “Obituary” and I would like to share extracts of it with you.
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 catches the worm, that life isn’t always fair, and that maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned, but overbearing regulations were set in place: when a six-year-old boy was charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; when a teacher was fired for reprimanding an unruly student.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating and finally passed away when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers: I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I’m A Victim.
Promotion XX, I believe that Common Sense is not dead but is seriously ill. That is why it is important for all of us to help it recover. Let’s start by trying to understand what is common about this quality.
Aristotle defined Common Sense as the place where all our senses come together, are processed and made available to consciousness. Therefore, it was a “common” sense because it gathered the other senses together in one place.
Locke described Common Sense as the process whereby each of the senses gives input and these are then integrated into a single impression. So again, it was “common” because it integrated the other five senses.

The Merriam Webster defines it as “sound and prudent but often unsophisticated judgment”.

I think it would be safe to say that Common Sense is acquired through the other five senses and that it is to be found to varying degrees in people of all ages and levels of formal education. It is not exclusive to intellectuals. How often have we spoken to a taxi driver and thought that he had a lot more common sense than some of our politicians?

Promotion XX, it is your responsibility to nurse common sense, nourish it and help it to get better. How can you do this? By using your other five senses and refining them daily. Here are simple examples of what I mean.

1. Smell the flowers: Modern life can be frivolous, furious and frenzied. It allows us little time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. In this school we are fortunate to be surrounded by very beautiful gardens. But how many times have you stopped to smell the freshness and fragrance of the flowers? Try it. It will cleanse your mind and soul and remind you of the simple beauties of life.

2. Listen with empathy: First seek to understand and then seek to be understood. Effective listening is not simply hearing the echo of what the other person has said through the lens of our own experience. Rather it is putting ourself in the perspective of the other person, listening empathetically for both feeling and meaning. It is one of the most important skills in life.

3. Taste the garlic: You have grown up in the era of junk food and vitamin pills. Modern society seems to have forgotten that healthy food nourishes not only your body but also your soul. Avoid the temptation of fast food which reflects the convenient, consumerist lifestyle. Take the time to cook with garlic, a medicinal plant which symbolises our history and traditions. Some things in life do not taste very pleasant but they rid our bodies of the contaminants that infest it every day.

4. See beyond the surface: The media so dominates our life nowadays that we find it difficult to see beyond the stereotype views of beauty and happiness. We often forget that the wrinkled caterpillar will become a majestic butterfly or that compassion is the root of true happiness. In Saint-Exupéry’s famous novel the Little Prince says that what is essential in life can only be seen with our hearts and not with our eyes.

5. Finally, feel enthusiasm: Whatever future career you undertake, do it with enthusiasm, a word which comes from Greek and literally means, “possessed by a god”. The extraordinary person is not the one who does extraordinary things but rather, the one who constantly does the ordinary things in an extraordinary way. As you get older do not lose that enthusiasm you had as a child. In the words of Mark Twain, “Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no-one’s watching.”

In Forrest Gump, one of my favourite films, Jenny asks Forrest the question, “Do you ever dream of who you gonna be?” Forrest replies, “Who I’m gonna be? Aren’t I gonna be me?”

Graduating students, in the next stage of your life, just be yourselves and Facite Omnia Sapienter. No matter where the future may take you, do not be afraid for your common sense will guide you.

I wish you a lot of satisfaction and happiness in your next journey and thank you for being such a wonderful promotion.

Andrew Cino
Headmaster