In Ancient Greece, Socrates had a great reputation for wisdom.
One day, someone came to find the great philosopher and said to him:
Do you know what I just heard about your friend?
A moment replied Socrates. Before you tell me, I would like to test the three sieves.
The three sieves? Yes, continued Socrates.
The first sieve: TRUTH.
Have you checked if what you’re going to tell me is true?
No, I just heard it.
Very good! So, you don’t know if it’s true.
The second sieve: KINDNESS.
What do you want to tell me about my friend, is it good?
Oh, no! On the contrary.
So, questioned Socrates, you want to tell me bad things about him and you’re not even sure they’re true?
The third sieve: UTILITY.
Is it useful that I know what you’re going to tell me about this friend?
Not really.
So, concluded Socrates, what you were going to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful.
Why, then, did you want to tell me this?
Before telling anything about others, it’s good to take the time to filter what you mean because there is no good about gossip.
– Pope Francis
Gossips are always fun and juicy, but it slowly eats us up with bitterness later.
When someone is trying to talk down about another person, it reflects poorly on the character of the person who is saying it provided the listener is not participating.
In another word, not every conversation needs a follow, some can be broken for the right reasons!
