20 Apr
2020DNA of a CommonSensei
Common Sense meets street smarts…
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comĀ·mon /ĖkƤmÉn/ (origin Latin) senĀ·sei /ĖsenĖsÄ,senĖsÄ/ (origin Japanese)
Common+Sensei Break Down:
Letās break it down. āCommonā is an adjective of sound judgement based on perception of facts or the situation. Simply put, it describes things that should be standard or well known. āSenseiā is a noun synonymous with teacher, but itās not exclusive to karate. In Japan it is a blanket term for doctors, lawyers, politicians etc. Its literal translation is even more symbolic: Sen (å ) translates as before and sei (ē) means birth, making the definition āone born before.ā In laymenās terms, Sensei is someone with loads of experience and knowledge (been there, done that). When we drop the āiā from Sensei, we of course have āSense,ā which for our purpose is the ability to make reasonable decisions. You will be majoring in the forgotten senseācommon. There is no consensus on the exact number of senses, but we all know the traditional 5:
The Traditional 5
- š Sight
- š Hearing
- š Smell
- š Taste
- š Touch ļø
The ever popular āSixth senseā is an ability to know something without using the ordinary five senses. In modern times, all kinds of other senses have been identified with fancy technical jargon like vestibular (balance) or proprioception (awareness), and the list continues to evolve.
For me, #7 remains ācommonā sense, although itās not a true sense of the word, it is the rarest. While logic offers a single answer to a problem, common sense seems to defy the odds. The most powerful supercomputer in the world, in all its grandeur, still canāt replicate the common sense of a 7-year old child, just as a driverless Tesla canāt outwit a savvy New York City cabbie during rush hour (at least not in my lifetime). Intuition is the ultimate act of trusting yourself, and it is what makes humans unique. Artificial intelligence is cool, but some things are immeasurable like the faith of a pastor, or the size of Rudyās ā¤. Rudy you say? Trust me, grab some popcorn and stream it ASAP.
Kickinā Flicksš¬: The 1993 film Rudy was inspired by the real life underdog story of Rudy Ruettiger who overcame insurmountable odds to make the Notre Dame Football team. Itās made plenty of tough guys and gals shed a tear.
The fun begins when we morph āem all together. The synergy of āCommonā and āSenseiā is best described by a mashup of famous characters (past and present). Letās mix the wisdom of Mr. Miyagi and Yoda with the intelligence of Professor Dumbledore and Gandalf; the awareness of John Wick with the charisma of Ferris Bueller; the poise of Doc Holiday with the spirit of Katniss Everdeen; the class of the Great Gatsby, with the street smarts of Tony Soprano; the Spidey senses of Peter Parker with the confidence of Black Panther, and the grit of Creed with the motivation and intensity of his coach, Rocky Balboaš„. Ironically, CommonSensei is anything but common; heās a master of ālife skills.ā Ok-ok, as your CommonSensei, I may have jazzed up the imagery just a bit, but itās attitude not aptitude that fuels aspirations. If I didnāt believe in myself, why would you or anyone read this book or come to me with tough questions? Go ahead; ask me anything!
Sensei Saysš„: A portmanteau is a fancy word (I still canāt pronounce correctlyš) formed by combining two different terms to create a new entity. By blending the sounds and meanings it creates a new expression. Sex+texting = sexting or Chill + relax =chillax.
Punchinā Playlist šš¶ āYouāre the Bestā (1984) is the anthem from All Valley Karate Championships in Karate Kid. It will definitely put you in the mood to watch Cobra Kai on YouTube. FYI, the song was originally written for Rocky III but was replaced with āEye of Tiger,ā another must download.
Truth be told, I donāt have all the answers, but in my Liam Neeson voice, āwhat I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career.ā Iām a jack of all trades. I know what you are thinking, so Iāll say it out loud, āMaster of none!ā That puts a negative spin on things, so bear with me.
Sensei Saysš„: One of the first references of āJack of all tradesā appeared in 1592 as a term dismissing none other than ShakespeareāOuch! But he turned out ok.
Itās all about interpretation, and I prefer the extended version, āJack of all trades, master of none, but often times better than master of one.ā — thatās sexier. To me, when weāre all in, that little rhyme is the best hand ā¦ā£ā ā„. While we do tend to āaceā something, be it our college degree or passion, its broad based knowledge outside our expertise that helps us have a winning hand in life. Iām your wild card š and what I canāt teach you, I do know who, what, when and where to lead you. Think of me as a dealer of life hacks, calling out bluffs and stacking the deck in your favor. Lifeās a gamble, but CommonSensei will help you raise the stakes and beat the odds by learning a new strategy.
Punchinā Playlist šš¶ āThe Gamblerā was a #1 chart topper for Kenny Rogers (RIP) in 1978 when it was released on vinyl. Itās forever famous for the lines:
āYou’ve got know when to hold ’em,
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run.ā
Sensei Saysš„: Audio formats such as vinyl, eight tracks, cassette tapes, and compact discs (CDs) were all in vogue before mp3s were invented in 1993. It wasnāt until 2001 with the release of the iPod before digital music really caught on. FYI, There was no such thing as an iPhone until 2007.
Kickinā Flicksš¬: Rocky was the first sports movie to win an Oscar in 1977. Burgess Meredith (Mickey)
was nominated for an Academy Award. Coincidentally, I was born later that year.
Many of these classics hit theaters long before your time. Choose a couple as part of your Common Sensei curriculum:
Sensei Saysš„: You canāt go wrong with the teen dramedy Ferris Buellerās Day Off. He doesnāt wait until his 20ās to āstart living.ā
- Karate Kid (1984) avoid the sequels
- Star Wars ā Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Harry Potter (2001-
- Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)
- John Wick (2014, 2017)
- Ferris Buellerās Day Off (1986)
- Hunger Games (2012-2015)
- Tombstone (1993)
- Great Gatsby (2013)
- Spider Man (anyone will do)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Sopranos (1999-2007) in my opinion the greatest television drama in history.
- Any Rocky flick (with the exception of 5, that was a stinker) or Creed Movie
At face value, CommonSensei is just that, a teacher of common sense, but its play on words is unique to my own personal brand of self-discovery. While I didnāt score 2400 on my SATās, Iāve since graduated at the top of my class in gut instinct, adaptability, and confidence. So letās get inside my head and explore the method to my madnessš¤Ŗ,
Bill Viola Jr. AKA RyÅshiki sensei čÆčå ē
Let me help you become aā¦
āBLACK BELT IN LIFEā

šBOW
Sayonara,
Common Sensei
