Keep this philosophy in mind the
next time you hear, or are about to repeat, a rumor. In ancient
Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.
One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance that ran up
to him excitedly and said, 'Socrates, do you know what I just heard
about one of your students?' 'Wait a moment,' Socrates replied.
'Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's
called the Test of Three.' 'Test of Three?' 'That's correct,'
Socrates continued. 'Before you talk to me about my student, let's
take a moment to test what you're going to say. The first test is
Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to
tell me is true?' 'No,' the man replied, 'actually I just heard
about it.' 'All right,' said Socrates. 'So you don't really know if
it's true or not. Now let's try the second test, the test of
Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student
something good?' 'No, to the contrary...' 'So,' Socrates continued,
'you want to tell me something bad about him even though you're not
certain it's true?' The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.
Socrates continued, 'You may still pass though because there is a
third test, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me
about my student going to be useful to me?' 'No, not really.'
'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?' The man
was defeated and ashamed, and said no more. This is the reason
Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high
esteem.