This essay is on an old Idiom “Look before you leap” which means acting without prior thinking will lead us into endless trouble.
It is always better to look before you leap or else there is a great danger of falling into a ditch. To act without prior thinking will lead us into endless trouble. Elderly people often say that haste always makes waste. Rushing into things without prior thinking will lead to wastage of time, resource and energy. Rash decisions many a times lead to dangerous and unwanted consequences. It is similar to jumping into a river without knowing its depth and flow. It does not mean though that one should delay in making decisions or avoid taking a stand. Rather, one should think twice before taking a decision. One should think things out rationally and logically to reach to a conclusion. Quick decisions are always welcome but not rash decisions. Even if one has to act on impulse and has no time to think things out as hi times of an emergency, then also one should use one’s presence of mind and do something. Quick decision-making should be coupled with prudence and justice. For instance, the great conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte took a rash decision of attacking Russia without realizing or taking into consideration the fierce and terrible whiter conditions of the country. Resultantly, his armies were trapped in snow and the Iron Guards of his army, of whose strength Napoleon was extremely proud of, got completely destroyed and annihilated. Historians believe that due to this one rash and hasty decision, Napoleon lost the crowning glory of his army. It was a loss from which he could never recover. It is hard to believe that a man with an unshakable will power and sound reasoning made such a rash decision.
It is always better to think twice thus, before reaching to any decision or jumping to conclusions. One should not rush into things. Foolish people rush in where wise people even fear to tread. Foolish people act on impulses without exercising their reason. They act impulsively, being governed and guided by their emotions. Overpowering emotions cloud their power of reasoning and they end up without any pre-consideration and pre-thinking. It seems that they invite danger and trouble with their hasty nature. The fishy, temporary charms, the transient things of this world which are like serpents under a rose, attract the unwise and the foolish. They unwittingly surge ahead on the slippery and slimy path of destruction. They fail to assess their situation, circumstances and the environment around. They fail to see the full picture as they are bunded by their hasty nature. They fail to even analyze their abilities and also fail to channelise their abilities in the proper and right direction.
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On the contrary, those who are wise and intelligent, plan with careful consideration every detail and think many a times with reason, logic and brain before plunging into a task. They do not plunge heedlessly into doing things. They weigh all the pros and cons, the good and the bad, the positive and the negatives before arriving at a solid and workable decision. Even if a problem arises, they do not jump to conclusions hastily. They try to get to the root of the problem in order to solve it. They devote a good amount as well as good quality of time and energy to take the right decision and even to mend mistakes or make things right.
Thus, it has been truly said that it is always better and desirable to look before one leaps or it is a prudent advise to foolish and impulsive people that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
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