Filter Gossip

The Triple Filter

In ancient Greece, Socrates was considered the wisest of men. To realize that one is not wise — that itself is the first sign of wisdom.

The five signs of foolishness, he taught, are these:

1. Faith without knowing
2. Speech without context
3. Anger without reason
4. Inquiry without curiosity
5. Change without progress

Socrates was renowned for holding knowledge as the highest virtue. One day, an acquaintance came to the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me anything, I would like you to pass a small test. It is called the Triple Filter Test."

The visitor was puzzled. "Triple Filter? What is that?"

"I have three filters," Socrates explained. "Only if whatever you wish to say passes through all three will I receive it."

The First Filter: Truthfulness

"The first filter is that of Truth. Are you absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No... actually, I only heard it from someone, and..." the man admitted. He sensed he had been caught.

The Second Filter: Goodness

"The second filter is that of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, quite the opposite..." The man grew nervous.

The Third Filter: Usefulness

"You still have to pass through one last filter. The third is that of Usefulness. Is what you wish to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really," the man replied after a moment's thought, almost apologetically.

"Well then," Socrates concluded, "if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful — why would you want to tell me at all?"

That visitor left the encounter having learned one of the most important lessons of his life — and perhaps became a better human being for it. This is precisely why Socrates was a great philosopher, and why he is honoured to this day.

Right knowledge builds a life that is true, good, and useful.

The Gossip in Our Own Stories

Think of how many stories within the narratives of Adhik Maas itself contain talks that would not survive these three filters — and consider the consequences that follow. Tally them up, and the pattern is unmistakable.

Can we not mentally pass our words through Socrates' three filters before speaking? Can we not use these three filters to stop ourselves from falling into gossip, envy, and complaint — and prevent our relationships from souring?

Social media and the "WhatsApp University" are, it sometimes seems, wholesale shops of unfiltered information. Let us guard ourselves against that flood.

Gandhiji's Three Monkeys

Remember Gandhiji's three monkeys. Let us speak and listen only to what passes through these three filters. And what does not pass through — let us not speak or listen at all.

By using these filters, let us move beyond merely being informed and proceed toward being truly wise. That is the Shubhechha (good wish) of this Adhik Maas — may we grow from knowledge into wisdom.