In Ancient Greece, a philosopher renowned for wisdom had a great reputation. One day, someone came to find this philosopher and said to him:
“Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”
“A moment,” replied the philosopher. “Before you tell me, I would like to test it with the three sieves.”
“The three sieves?”
“Yes,” continued the philosopher. “Before you speak about others, it’s important to take the time to filter what you mean. I call it the test of the three sieves. The first sieve is TRUTH. Have you checked if what you’re going to tell me is true?”
“No, I just heard it.”
“Very well! So, you don’t know if it’s true. Let’s move on to the second sieve, that of KINDNESS. Is what you want to tell me about my friend something good?”
“Oh, no! On the contrary.”
“So,” questioned the philosopher, “you want to tell me something negative about him, and you’re not even sure it’s true? Perhaps you can still pass the test of the third sieve, that of UTILITY. Is it useful for me to know what you’re going to tell me about this friend?”
“No, not really.”
“Therefore,” concluded the philosopher, “what you were going to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful. Why, then, did you want to tell me this?”
This story reflects Socratic philosophy, emphasizing the importance of truth, kindness, and utility in speech and action. Socrates believed in seeking knowledge through critical thinking and questioning assumptions, like the use of the three sieves to filter information before accepting or passing it on.
“Gossip is a bad thing. Initially, it may seem enjoyable and fun, but ultimately, it fills our hearts with bitterness and poisons us.” – Pope Francis
