Lots of personal development materials say that a person should take complete responsibility for everything in their life, and I try to live by that.
This idea is prevalent in many cultures and there are often situations where people blame someone for not behaving according to "common sense."
For example, you've probably heard these types of statements:
1. "Why doesn't he just take responsibility for his drinking problem? Everybody knows alcohol is addictive."
2. "Doesn't she know that taking in more calories than she burns keeps her fat?"
3. "Didn't she know that a guy like him would cheat on her?"
On the other hand, many people would be horrified if a civil engineer said something like this regarding the
bridge collapse:
"Duh! Weren't they smart enough to realize that the bridge was old and was supporting too much of a load during rush hour? They should've just waited until they could have traveled over the bridge at a more reasonable time."
When does something stop being common sense (which you should take responsibility for) and start being specialized knowledge (which not everybody may know)?