There is a word I stumbled on , that I usually just read over but don’t pay much attention to. That word is prudence. Prudence according to collins dictionary is :
prudent
(pruːdənt )
adjective
prudently adverb [usually ADVERB with verb]
So showing care and thought for the future is to be prudent
prudence
ˈpruːd(ə)ns/Submit
noun
noun: prudence; plural noun: prudences
the quality of being prudent; cautiousness.
“we need to exercise prudence in such important matters”
synonyms: wisdom, judgement, good judgement, judiciousness, sagacity, shrewdness, advisability, common sense, sense More
antonyms: folly, recklessness
The interesting thing about the use of the word prudence is that it’s use has declined throughout the last two hundred years.
I was reading proverbs 7 and 8 and discovered ” I prudence dwell with wisdom ” .
Proverbs 8:12 King James Version (KJV)
12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
Isn’t it interesting ? I used to say , ” I am slow , thoughtful and circumspect ” . And I prided myself on it. But lately , with all the internet convenience and rush to see that latest post by so and so..I’ve progressively become less and less prudent. I think the whole reason why there is a decline in moral values is because people are less and less prudent. They act without thinking of the consequences of their actions. We surely must take heed to the trend. We need wisdom now more than ever.
And good wisdom is always used in conjunction with prudence. We need to fear the consequence of our actions enough to be prudent. Now I am not saying that you all are not prudent. I think that you’re all great people. But isn’t it time we stood back long enough to see ourselves in the mirror and acknowledge who we see standing there ? ” And make that change ? ” – to quote Michael Jackson.