Sometimes I hear people say "You are being overcautious."
In truth, I haven't really given it much thought until today.
Can you actually be over cautious?
Is there such a thing as having too much caution?
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The word caution comes from the Latin word cavere and it means "To take heed."
As in.... Take heed, that cop is watching you!
Of course when Latin was being spoken they didn't have cops. I think they might have been called Centurions back then but I'm no expert on the subject.
The thing is.... when were feeling cautious it's usually either because we know something isn't right or because we have experience and we've been in a similar situation so we know to take heed.
Be careful cutting that onion. I cut myself just last week with that same knife.
Be careful parking out there. John just got a ticket last week.
So what does it mean to be overcautious?
Never parking on a street with a No Parking sign? No . That's just being cautious.
I think being overcautious might be something like never driving a car because you're afraid of getting it towed.
However, it's also possible that you wouldn't drive a car because you know you have a tendency to park in inappropriate places and therefore you know you'll get it towed. In that case you're not being overcautious. You're just using common sense.
I think overcautious is an oxymoron in most cases. There may be certain times when people actually are overly cautious when they don't need to be. However, if you're feeling overcautious it's because you're feeling an extreme need to be cautious.
Therefore, I say in most cases over-cautious actually is an oxymoron.
