“For want of a nail the shoe was lost
For want of a shoe the horse was lost
For want of a horse the rider was lost
For want of a rider the message was lost
For want of a message the battle was lost
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”
Familiar? This proverb is found in nearly every country and language… and age. The point? According to one source: “It describes a situation in which a failure to anticipate or correct some initially small dysfunction leads by successively more critical stages to an egregious outcome.”
Though we read and see these examples, history always seems to repeat itself, even with the foreknowledge! We so rarely learn from the mistakes from previous generations, but who would want an egregious outcome? Tools to avert this: anticipate, correct any initially small dysfunction. My terms to avert these issues are critical thinking and option planning. Too often we don’t ask questions as part of our analysis so we experience being blindsided or experience ‘unforeseen consequences’. Neither of those outcomes are within our plans but typically occur when we eliminate those crucial steps to act on the ‘forewarned is forearmed’ mentality.
Frustration is often the expression we all feel when we analyze ‘what went wrong’ and discover that beginning problem was identified but never was address. You saw it, you just didn’t do anything to resolve it. History is replete with startling examples of what turned into an enormous failure because of a simple action that never occurred. Wars have been won and lost because of this inattentiveness. Sometimes there really is no redress and one has to live with the consequences.
… for want of a nail… Do we live our lives this way? Do we not address those areas that we need to in order to live abundant fruitful and fulfilling lives? Not taking the time now to prepare (Beginning in Matthew 25:1) may place us in the position of the 7 foolish bridesmaids – out in the cold. Sometimes we feel we are too tired or aren’t equipped or (fill in the blank) – doesn’t deter the ‘for want of a nail’ experience. We have to prepare and be attentive or we will suffer the fate of the ‘for want of…’.
