It figures that it was the daughter of a Scottish born judge who told me when I was fretful and fussing "Dinnae worry and keep your own counsel".  Dinnae fash yersel.  It was good advice.  But taking advice and following it require more than appreciating the fact a suggestion has been made and vaguely understanding what that suggestion means. Father Lonergan taught that the old-fashioned Scottish common sense was not so much a stock of pre-assembled knowledge that one can consult for a fix, but rather an active judging power that allows a person to assess a situation, compare all relevant insights, check progress, and trouble shoot until the problem is solved. So, for example, "Look before you leap" and "He who hesitates is lost" are perfectly good proverbs recorded in plain, idiomatic language.  But when choosing a course of action, one cannot simply heed one or the other--either checking the depth of the lake before diving in, or rushing headlong in...