Have you ever met someone with a PhD who can’t seem to navigate basic life decisions? Or someone who’s successful at work but lost when it comes to relationships?
I see it all the time—in therapy sessions, in conversations after Mass, even in myself at times. And it hit me just recently: what a lot of us are calling a “lack of common sense” is a lack of connection to something bigger.
We’ve made intelligence the gold standard in our culture. But here’s the thing: being smart isn’t the same as being wise. Einstein said, “The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible.” There’s a logic and order to things—relationships, parenting, even the timing of life—that you can’t chalk up to luck or coincidence.
So, where does that order come from?
Common Sense Isn’t So Common Anymore
Common sense used to be what grounded people. Things like: if you mess up, own it. If you borrow something, return it. Don’t spend more than you earn. Don’t walk away from your marriage because of one hard year. Things your grandma probably said without ever reading a self-help book.
But today, we’ve replaced common sense with what’s trending. We’ve outsourced our values to apps, experts, and influencers. And we wonder why things feel messy.
There’s a kind of spiritual grounding that used to guide people. It wasn’t complicated. You trusted that there was a right and a wrong, and you tried your best to live accordingly, even when it wasn’t easy.
Especially when it wasn’t easy.
Faith Isn’t About Having the Answers—It’s About Trusting the Process
People think faith means you have it all figured out. It’s the opposite.
Faith is what helps you keep going when life doesn’t make sense. It helps you hold your tongue when you’re angry, stay in the room when things get uncomfortable, and slow down when every instinct is telling you to speed up and fix it all.
It’s the voice that says, “Maybe I don’t need to have the last word today.”
Or, “Maybe what I want right now isn’t what I need long-term.”
In therapy, I often tell people, especially couples, “You don’t need more tips and tricks. You need clarity.” And that clarity usually comes when you stop trying to control everything and instead ask: What would love, patience, or humility look like right now?
Practical Ways to Bring Back Common Sense
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck in some area of your life, here are a few questions worth asking:
Am I complicating something that could be simple?
(Sometimes we spend hours analyzing what a text meant when we could just call the person.)
Am I ignoring what I already know deep down is right?
(If it feels off, it probably is.)
When I don’t have an answer, can I pause instead of panic?
(You don’t always need to “figure it out” in one day. Give it space.)
Am I trusting that there’s something bigger at play here?
(Call it God, call it the universe—call it whatever you want—but life has a way of working things out when we stop fighting it.)
Final Thought
We’re in an age of information overload, yet people are more confused than ever. It’s not more knowledge we need—it’s deeper wisdom. And wisdom doesn’t come from Google. It comes from quiet moments. From humility. From letting go of the need to be right, or first, or in control.
So next time you find yourself saying, “That just doesn’t make sense,” ask yourself: Am I trying to make sense of something with my head when maybe it needs to come from a deeper place?
Because sometimes, the most intelligent thing you can do is trust.