You’ve heard it a lot, in several different forms:
- “Think before you speak”
- “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”(1)
- “Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.”(2)
- Proving that there’s nothing really new under the sun, however, have you ever heard the story of Socrates’s Three Sieves? (3)
[A sieve is an old-fashioned word for a filter, or you might think of a modern kitchen strainer as a good simile.]
The story(4) goes like this:
One day, Socrates is walking down the street, when all of the sudden a man runs up to him “Socrates I have to tell you something about your friend who…”
“Hold up” Socrates interrupts him “About the story you’re about to tell me, did you put it through the three sieves?”
“Three sieves?” The man asks “What three sieves?”
“Let’s try it” Socrates says.
“The first sieve is the one of truth, did you examine what you were about to tell me if it is true?” Socrates asks.
“Well no, I just overheard it” The man says.
“Ah, well then you have used the second sieve, the sieve of good?”
Socrates asks “Is it something good what you’re about to tell me?”
“Ehm no, on the contrary” the man answers.
“Hmmm” The wise man says “Let’s use the third sieve then, is it necessary to tell me what you’re so excited about?”
“No, not necessary” the man says
“Well,” Socrates says with a smile
If the story you’re about to tell me isn’t true, good or necessary, just forget it and don’t bother me with it.
In this day and age when so many are quick to outrage, blame, and negativity, I wonder if we wouldn’t all be better if we took a minute to consider the topic at hand through the filter of the three sieves?
1. Is it TRUE?
2. Is it GOOD?
3. Is it NECESSARY?
If the answer is no to any of the three, should we pause and reconsider? Is what we’re about to say the right way to go? Are we only going to contribute to the consternation, or are we going to contribute to resolving it More commonly put,
“Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?”
As the bright yellow sticker in many automobiles advises:
“Warning: Ensure foot is firmly on Brake before putting the car in gear.”
In other words, “Warning: Engage Brain before Putting Mouth in Gear.”
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Sources:
(1) Attributed to many, but probably initially from the Proverbs of Solomon, “Solomon 17:28 — Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise: and he that shuts his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”
(2) Voltaire
(3) Although widely attributed to Socrates, it seems likely this is a more modern tale constructed sometime in the last 150 years. Certainly, Socrates did not write or speak in this vernacular.
(4) http://www.spiritual-knowledge.net/tales/socrates-three-siev…
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This post was previously published on ILLUMINATION.
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