Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day, a student came up to the great philosopher. ‘Socrates, I have just heard some news about one of your friends.’ he excitedly exclaimed.

“Hold on a minute,’ Socrates replied. ‘Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. And This is known as ‘the triple filter test’. The first filter is ‘Truth’.

Tell me, do you know that what you’re going to tell me is absolutely true?’ asked Socrates. After thinking for a moment, the man said, “I heard this news from someone else, so I’m not 100% sure if it’s true.’

‘The second test is that of goodness,’ Socrates continued, ‘Is what you’re about to tell me something good?’ ‘No, actually it’s the opposite…’

Socrates interrupted the man, ‘So what you’re going to tell me is neither true, nor good?’ The man was slightly embarrassed and shrugged his shoulders.

Socrates continued, ‘There is one final test-which is usefulness. Is what you’re about to tell me going to be useful?’ ‘Probably not,’ the man replied.

‘Well,’ concluded Socrates, ‘If what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?’

Wiseland: ‘Without wood a fire goes out, without gossip a quarrel dies down.’ Let’s be peace-makers, not trouble-makers.