How to enrich one's common sense

The more I move forward into my life, the more I realize the fundamental importance of common sense. 

This is especially true in these times of misinformation, conspiracy theories and addiction to social media and trendy behaviors. In fact information or education, for that matter, have little to do with common sense. 

As my countryman Victor Hugo is rumored to have said: “Common sense is in spite of, not as the result of education.” I am therefore convinced that it’s incumbent on all of us to dig deeper into common sense and to hone our skills into that rich resource. 

So how do I think we ought to strengthen our capacity for common sense? My immediate answer would be for skiing, golfing or writing: Practice, practice, practice. 

So if I have it right, how should I proceed? I believe that first and foremost, we must try to solve our problems or answer our questions, ourselves first. Tapping into our experience and intuition will get us started in formulating an opinion, an idea and ultimately, a solution. 

Then I check with commonly available tips on the subject or problem, and unless the recommendations I find are enriching my solutions, I generally ignore them, because mine are custom made for me, my values and my goals.