I want to make use of this short gathering to make clear our working requirement. This is a big company, and all clerks should know how to produce good effects, of course, including me, manager-in-chief. Everyone here, I think, must know how to distinguish the right from the wrong, But it is not enough to know what is right and what is wrong. One must also be able to apply this knowledge to actual, concrete situations. For that, the virtue of prudence is essential. St Thomas Aquinas referred to prudence as the “rudder virtue”, the one that “steers” the others. Without it, we are like someone adrift in a boat, tossed in this direction or that by the wind, the waves, and the current. Unfortunately, the virtue of prudence has too often been confused with caution. Thus, the “prudent” person is one who never “rocks the boat” and is especially careful to avoid offending those who are in a position to advance their interests--or to thwart them. The word that actually comes closest to functioning as a synonym for prudence is “discernment”. The prudent person is one who can “size up” a situation and decide, or discern, what is the wisest and most moral course of action to take. Accordingly, prudence doesn't answer the question, “What is the right thing in principle to do?” Rather, “What is the right thing for me (or for us) to do in this situation?” The prudent person fully examines a situation and seeks advice from others. (Reaching out to others for counsel before acting is one of the classic marks of a prudent person.) A judgement is made in the light of this examination and advice, and then a decision is made. The exercise of prudence presupposes that the person knows the relevant moral principles, has a fund of experience from which to draw, has the ability to make the best use of the experience, and has a capacity to learn from others (which means a capacity to listen attentively to what others are saying). The prudent person can also recognise the implications of a given situation and of a line of action to be taken under the circumstances. The prudent person has the vision and foresight to anticipate obstacles and to plan to surmount them. In the final analysis, the prudent person has the ability to take every relevant factor and circumstance into account and then to make a moral decision in light of it all. So, I hope we can try to be a prudent per- son and apply this virtue of prudence to our work, and do better and achieve more in our work. The auther is ______.