Proverbs tells us not only that the simple believes everything, but also that the imprudent fool is reckless and careless.

To be reckless or careless is to act without reck or care, (and no, that’s not wreck, like I wrecked my bicycle…although that might happen if you are reckless).  It means to act without concern for the consequences of an action.  We are imprudent when we fail to think beyond the immediate moment; when we let our emotions rather than our minds govern our actions.

And here’s the thing: A single act of recklessness or carelessness usually isn’t the end of the matter.  Friedrich Nietzsche, no icon of prudence himself, knew firsthand that “[r]ash actions are seldom committed in isolation. With the first rash action we always do too much. So we usually go on to commit a second one—and then we do too little.”

Have you ever been reprimanded by your teacher for talking out in class, and then after being corrected, simply gone silent and not participated at all?  Have you been dishonest to your parents in a careless moment, and then instead of owning up to it, stayed silent while the lie snowballed out of control?

Thucydides observed that “[f]ew things are brought to a successful issue by impetuous desire, but most by calm and prudent forethought.”  Or, as the idiom puts it simply, “look before you leap.”

But don’t worry—you’re still a work in progress.  As Cicero tells us, “rashness belongs to youth; prudence to old age.”  Just be sure you’re aging in the right direction.

Have a wonderful day.