Socrates was one of the greatest sages of ancient Greece. Once a man came to the philosopher and said:
– Do you know what I have just learned about a friend of yours?
– Wait a moment – Socrates stopped him. – Before you tell me, I should like to run the test of the three sieves.
– The three sieves? – the man wondered.
– Yes – said Socrates. – Before you repeat things behind other people’s backs, it is wise to take a little time and think about what you are about to say. That is what I call the test of the three sieves. First comes the sieve of Truth. Have you checked whether what you want to tell me is true?
– No, I only heard other people talking…
– Well. So you do not know if it is true. Let us try the second sieve, the sieve of Goodness. Is what you will tell me about my friend something good?
– Well, no – on the contrary!
– So – Socrates went on – you want to tell me bad things about a friend of mine, without even knowing if they are true. But you may still pass the test, because the last sieve remains – Usefulness. Will it be of use to me to hear what you have learned about my friend?
– Hmm… Actually – not particularly.
– Then – Socrates concluded – if what you have to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful, why would you tell me at all?
And that is the parable. In their eagerness to live on gossip and other people’s lives, some people forget their own lives.
/from Facebook/