I drew my inspiration from the parable of ‘Wise and Foolish Maidens’, The foolish ones waisted their lamp oil while waiting for the groom (Christ) and missed his coming. The prudent ones kept the vigil - the light - and were taken to the wedding banquet/heaven.
St. Thomas Aquinas ranked prudence as the first cardinal virtue because it is concerned with the intellect. Aristotle defined prudence as "right reason applied to practice." It is the virtue that allows us to judge correctly what is right and what is wrong in any given situation. When we mistake the evil for the good, we are not exercising prudence—in fact, we are showing our lack of it.
Because it is so easy to fall into error, prudence requires us to seek the counsel of others, particularly those we know to be sound judges of morality. Disregarding the advice or warnings of others whose judgment does not coincide with ours is a sign of imprudence.
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