Prudence is the virtue that disposes
practical reasoning to discern goodness in every circumstance and to choose the
right means of achieving it.
According to Aristole, a famous philosopher, prudence is stressed upon, and the main virtue that promotes an ethical and a morally good wholesome life.
These days, it is rare to find an
individual to believe that the world is ethical, right and just. We find it hard to trust the way institutions
and societies are running. Governmental bodies, healthcare industries,
education sector, financial sector, legal entities, etc. We find it even hard
to trust ourselves to choose between the right thing and what is deemed as the
profitable/required/expected choice.
We worry that the people we rely on do not
have the best interest for us or we worry that they do not know us well enough
to actually pick & secure the best interests. This very insecurity causes us to set up more
rules, rules to protect us and cause indifferent & uncaring institutions to
make decisions based on the welfare of the people.
Such as giving judges a guidebook on what
type of sentence goes with what type of crime, impose limits on the interests
that can be given by banks, giving teachers scripts to follow in the classroom.
Asides rules, the incentive system is also
set up, so that selfish people will still make decisions that serves our
interests as they have something to gain.
These “solution” of rules and incentives
that are implemented demoralises the activity and people who are intrinsically
motivated to engage in the activity. Such implementations have created a
generation of people that only does things to their own advantage, enhancing
the selfish nature and developing a mind-set against the very virtue of
Prudence.
Hence, prudence is something that is almost
extinct in our current society, as we know that it does not necessarily repay
us, due to the many loopholes in the systems that we have created.
An example will be when a criminal does
something wrong because for ethical purposes, such as stealing money to save
their dying parents.
Why should we practice prudence and take
effort to reason out with circumstances when a definite answer is already
provided and is something that we alone cannot change?
Do it for the common goal of creating and
rebuilding a society and community that is fair and morally good. Being prudent
sparks justice and fairness in people, imagine that happiness and joy to be
able to see the good in those around you. Imagine relationships initiated and
formed without walls of self-defense or heart of caution and wary.
Together, we can do it, let’s begin the
journey to prudence
Having
Flexibility
Being flexible with what is deemed as
“good”, knowing how to change and react accordingly to what is truly best. This
allows us to reason better, aiding us to what’s right in difficult
circumstances, making prudence simpler. Retreat and take risks accordingly. You
can start by being less rigid with simple events, for example, planning an
impromptu outing or change up your
Seek
Counsel
Seeking Counsel allows us to open our minds
to more perspectives. We have limited capacity after all, the knowledge that we
have may not be enough to for us to reason out what’s best. Gaining more
insights and opinions will benefit our reasoning process. Furthermore, this is
a way to enjoy the process of being prudent, as we get to learn and form
relationships with others as well.
Do
acts of kindness everyday
Remember the basis of prudence is always
for the good. We may be easily deterred to practice prudence because of how the
current nature of society. We can motivate ourselves by doing simple acts of
kindness every day. Such examples include, picking up trash on the road,
recycling items instead of throwing them away, or giving up your seat for an
elderly. The more we do this, the more we are reminded about the good of being
good. With the purpose of good, practicing prudence will be easier and easier
each day.
To end off, a quote by Joseph Smith, Jr
“ Be wise; let prudence dictate all your
counsels; preserve peace with all men, if possible; stand by the Constitution
of your country; observe its principles; and above all, show yourselves men of
God, worthy citizens.”
"Having the simplest prudence, create Legends"
