Walking in the Valley A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley by Barbara Dahlgren

All right, I admit it. I love the movies. I wish I could recall scriptures as well as who starred in The African Queen and which movie said the first curse word. But I can't. I just have a proclivity for retaining useless knowledge. It's a gift (or curse, depending on your point of view).

So there I was at the movies with my husband at mid-day. Our hectic lifestyle prevents us from doing this too often, but we do have the luxury of altering our schedules occasionally so we can hit the "cheap" time at the box office. Actually there is no "cheap" time at the movies anymore with matinees up to $7 but I'll save inflation for another column. Now where was I? Oh, yeah! So there I was at the movies with my husband. I had my mega popcorn smothered in butter and lightly salted. I had my mega pop three times the size of my bladder. Since the huge theater was empty, I even got to sit in my most favorite spot, the very middle. I was so totally ready to enjoy this show!

In walks a family of four who proceed to plop themselves down directly in front of us. Now the theater is empty except for this family and us. Out of all the seats in this huge, huge room, they decide to sit right in front of us. The theater did not have stadium seating so my husband asked me if I would like to move. I replied, "Yes! I'd like to move two rows down and sit directly in front of these people." We compromised and moved over a couple of seats so their happy little heads wouldn't block our view.

Why would people do this? These people were not malicious. The woman turned around and sweetly asked me what time the movie would start. They all looked basically intelligent. She had a watch on and could tell time. Yes, they paid their money and had the right to sit anywhere in the theater they wanted to sit. But common sense would tell you not to choose the only seats in the room that would obscure someone's view if you had 1000 others to choose from.

I personally think they reflect a symptom of what's lacking in today's society. It's not just being discourteous. People genuinely lack common sense. In fact the phrase "common sense" is a misnomer, because what is common today is the lack of common sense. A basic definition of common sense is "sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge or training." You know, everyday stuff that people ought to know.

But people don't know the everyday stuff anymore. Why else would a show like Dr. Laura be so popular? If you listen to her you will see that at times she's glib, rude, unsympathetic, matter of fact, and unwavering in her views. However she does possess something that people are desperately lacking today - an element of common sense. People also love the way she's perfectly willing to tell you what you should or should not do so you don't have to think and figure it out for yourself. Why else would people subject themselves to the verbal belittling that you could encounter if you call her for advise?

The Bible has a lot to say about common sense but it's not called common sense, it's called wisdom. When Solomon became king he asked God for wisdom so that he could rule wisely. God was so impressed that Solomon didn't ask for riches or long life for himself that not only did God give Solomon what he requested, but he gave him the riches and long life, too. (I Kings 3:5-14) Indeed Solomon became known as the wisest man who ever lived. If you want to learn about wisdom, read the book of Proverbs. It's chocked full of wise words to live by. And if you want wisdom James 1:5 says we can ask God for it and He will give it to us. We can also ask God to give wisdom to those we meet and work with everyday. Why not spread it around? The more people who exercise wisdom, the happier we will all be.

©June 2001

Be sure to visit this page every week to read the next edition of Walking in the Valley. You can write to the author at bydahlgren@aol.com.