From an early age they insist on us: “Measure 7 times - cut once”, warning against hasty, rash actions. Consider the meaning of the saying and explain it.
Possible origin
An analysis of the sources, unfortunately, did not yield any results. But it seems that expression could come from among tailors. After all, cutting off something is very easy, but it’s almost impossible to fix a piece of matter back so that no seams are visible.
Therefore, they say "Measure 7 times - cut 1 time", because there will be no turning back.
Value
When we choose products home, then we should not think long, because everything is already almost clear. It is necessary to focus on our desires or, perhaps, plans for the evening. For example, we thought of making spaghetti with cheese for dinner, so we don’t have to think long here, we just take the ingredients of this dish.
The situation is different when you need to make a fateful decision. For example, where to go to study? Here it is worth weighing the pros and cons, then take a sheet, paint your strengths and weaknesses, think about your interests. Some, however, are not so fundamentally approaching the choice of specialty and trust the university on a geographical basis, that is, the one that is closest to the house. Of course, they chop off the shoulder, and we urge to adhere to the proverb "Measure 7 times - cut 1 time."
True, practice shows that fundamentally we approach the choice of a specialty or not, we still carry out a spontaneous social order. Simply put, most of our professional knowledge is gathering dust somewhere in our subconscious mind, but unused skills form the basis for our intuition. One who trusts the river of time tends to run aground. And our object of study, among other things, teaches a conscious attitude to life.
Pros and Cons of Caution
Consciousness is good, but it is brought up with caution. An impulsive person hardly thinks about the consequences of his actions, even when the results are absolutely deplorable. Actually, this is called experience. There is a misconception that a fool learns from his mistakes, and a smart one learns from strangers. Practice shows that no one or almost no one learns from the mistakes of others, because a person secretly believes in his uniqueness and infallibility. I.A. Brodsky expressed this in a capacious line: "Death is what happens to others." Moreover, the expression is universal, because illness, trouble, adversity - all this also happens to others. If someone else's experience taught something, then, probably, there would be less misfortune in the world. Although the experience of the next of kin still teaches, especially when a person directly suffered from a lifestyle that is dictated by well-known bad habits. But even such a “science” is not mastered by all those who suffered in childhood, some, on the contrary, reproduce the destructive lifestyle of their parents, without finding a better answer to the challenges of life.
But one who is guided by the expression "Measure 7 times - cut 1 time", as a principle, is unlikely to fall into the clutches of pathological illusions, because phraseologism insists on an extremely serious attitude to reality and the world. Therefore, one must think carefully before acting.
But there are also disadvantages to a cautious position; they are easy to predict. The main drawback comes down to the argument, or rather, the famous quote from the film, which everyone will definitely see on December 31: "Great is beyond your reach." A person who constantly thinks about security and about “no matter what happens”, most likely, will not be able to meet crazy love or commit an adventurous act. But, of course, the saying "Measure 7 times - cut 1 time" does not draw pathology into its semantic orbit. It speaks of a commonplace, but at the same time, moderate sanity. We especially wish the latter on the eve of the New Year holidays.