A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE

A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE

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            The subject of the essay is a proverb which means timely rectification of a small defect will go a long way to prevent multiple defects in future. If a piece of cloth is torn at one place it should be repaired at once. Otherwise it will grow in size and to a stage when no repair can be undertaken. We may have to stitch nine times if we do not stitch once in the beginning. Therefore, it is to be learnt that when a defect in anything is noticed it must be rectified soon. Otherwise, for want of timely care the defect will be magnified in course of time and one has to exert himself nine times to tackle the blemish. Here “nine times” means many times. If a boy tells a lie and his father or teacher does not check him he will certainly be a habitual liar in future. Hence, all small faults and troubles should be set right from the beginning.

            The proverb “a stitch in time saves nine” is closely associated with the occupation of a potter – related to the process of making pots, jars, vase, etc. from clay. The potter first puts a chunk of clay on the wheel. The potter then shapes the spinning mass of clay into a pot. At this time he tries his best to give a perfect shape to the clay. Once the pottery is shaped it is kept for dry. If the potter fails to give the desired shape to the clay then latter he would have to struggle to give the shape he wants.

            This proverb is directly related to the student life. The student life is the most important period for a child. All the future hopes depend upon it. Today’s students will be tomorrow’s lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, leaders and activists. Their quality and personality will determine the kind of destiny that beckons the nation. It, therefore, becomes mandatory for every nation and every society to nurture a strong, healthy and intellectual youth. It is the responsibility of the adults to direct the youth in desired direction. If the society is careless and carefree about its youth and fails to educate them in a productive manner, then the society is in danger of facing destructive and violent youth. The trees and flowers of a garden have to be trimmed to make it look beautiful and appealing. Otherwise, the plants and bushes will go haywire and spoil the beauty of the garden and will not reap proper blossoms. Similarly, a child has to be pruned of its baser instincts and trained in a proper manner in order to be beneficial to society. If proper and timely attention is not paid to the grooming of the youth, it can turn haywire and become unproductive. This lack of guidance and lack of love may lead many a young men and women to drug addiction. The student life or youth period is the most important part of man’s life. Therefore, parents should properly guide them and rectify all their defects timely so that they can lead a happy and prosperous life.

            This proverb can be applied in the field of agriculture also. Sometimes insect destroy crops by feeding on them or giving them plant diseases. Many methods are used to control harmful insects. Sometimes chemical substances called pesticide are used by the farmer to kill the insects and sometimes they use trap to catch the insects or make the insects unable to reproduce or bring natural enemies to kill the insects. If farmer unable to kill or catch the insects in time the plant disease may grow and destroy the crops. Destruction of crops means failure of hard work of farmer. Hence farmer should kill the insects in time so as to protect their crops.

            There are many other examples of this proverb. One of the examples is that there is much kind of diseases which are required to be detected at an early stage such as malaria, cancer, etc. Regular checkups by a doctor can detect these diseases before it grows and spreads. If these diseases are not detected at an early stage it may grow and spread and may take the life of the patient suffering from these diseases. Hence, people who suffer from these diseases if discovered early usually survive.

            Similarly, dams must be strong enough to withstand the pressure of water against them. Dams also must be cared for and repaired. A dam that breaks can cause disaster. For example, in 1889, a dam in Pennsylvania broke and let loose a wall of water. The water submerged the town of Johnstown, knocking down houses and killing more than 2000 people. Therefore, dams should be checked and repaired in time. Otherwise, it may create disaster.

            Today the computer has become an indispensable part of our life. Every important information or files are kept saved in it. But sometimes viruses attack the computer due to the use of infected files or opening of infected email by the user. Virus can play havoc in our system, it can delete our important files and it can also destroy our hard disk. Thus, user should have some basic knowledge about viruses, their prevention and cure. Use of good anti-virus software for scanning files regularly should invariably be used by each and every user. Thus a small care can check a big problem.

            It is rightly said that prevention is better than cure. Prevention has always proved better than the cure particularly in the case of controlling dangerous and infected diseases like cholera, small pox and so many others, if not prevented in time can kill many people once they break out. Hence the authorities are now taking steps to prevent these diseases. These steps are producing good results. In the same way, it is also helpful in controlling rowdy boys in schools and colleges. Thus, if we adopt timely preventive measures to rectify all problems or defects though small or big then the misery and suffering of the people can be minimized if not totally eradicated.

            “A Stitch in Time Saves Nine” has relevance in today’s competitive world. If we ignore or fail to rectify our defects or faults, even if small in nature, we may leave behind. Thus, we must struggle to set right all our problems or defects or faults at the very beginning in order to compete in this competitive world.

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