When life isn't fair, I start thinking.

"Lie isn't fair" has been a statement that I have heard more times than I can count. It means that things may not always go our own way and that life generally sucks some of the time. I fully understand and accept that.

The motto at the top of this blog has added "but people can be" to the phrase for good reason. Since people have created this society and civilization and it's rules, people have the opportunity to right wrongs and make the world a better place. It throws the onus back on people to at least try and make this world a better place to live.

Notice how I said "make the world a better place" and not "make people better". Like Malcolm Reynolds in the movie Serenity, I don't hold that making people conform to what others believe is "better" can solve the world's ills. I propose that we change how we do things is the better alternative.

So when things go wrong, I start thinking. I begin with the question: Why is this the way it is? and work from there with the limited resources and understanding of the world that I have. Then I run it around in my subconscious or wherever these things go to come up with solutions. They may not always work, but then, I figure that I can be "more right than wrong" to suit my understanding of the problem. When others tell me otherwise, then I will change the idea.

In my experience, people have more common wisdom than the "experts" will ever want to admit. And those with a moderate amount of common sense can make this world a "better place" without having to get permission from these same experts.

It happens all the time: parents will have a child that has some difficulty with life and the first thing they do is go to the "experts" who will plan out strategies, lessons and other time-intensive work just to make things better. More often than not, medication is also involved. What usually ends up happening is that the parents are out hundreds or thousands of dollars, the experts have their theories validated and the situation really never changes. Sometimes the kids are worse off than before.

Or take another example: traffic control. Planners will make studies, monitor daily traffic volumes and then suggest to city council that x, y and z changes must be made in order to make traffic flow smoother. The usual end result is more of the same: traffic snarls and lost time waiting for some line of cars to move forward 50 feet in 20 minutes.

In both examples, parents and drivers are generally pushed aside to make room for the experts and their book-based theories to do their thing.

Whats wrong with the picture is that common sense and the wisdom of generations of parents and drivers gets ignored.

With this blog, I intend to set the balance in favour of common sense. I will infuriate readers, confound them and give them something to think about using their critical thinking skills. I will also try to inspire as many of the speakers at TED.com inspire me with ideas and suggestions on how to make this world a better place for all of us.

Life isn't fair, but people can be"" is a challenge to get up and do something to right the daily wrongs we face. Because we need more right, less wrong in our lives.