Indo-Pak talk, talk, talk..!
Robert Clements
Saturday, July 24, 2010 - And as the Indo-Pak talks, start, stutter, sink, then restart, again start, stutter, sink, then restart I have a tale to tell those involved in the talks: One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who 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 Triple Filter Test.” “Triple filter?” “That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my student let’s take a moment to filter what you’re going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”
“No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and...” “All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?” “No, on 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 the test though, because there is a third filter - 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. This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem. Yes, my dear talkers on both the Indian and Pakistan side; is what you are saying passing the triple filter test? Last week both of your delegations were angry because of some loose talk, but before you listened to all the so called loose talk did you ask yourself, whether it was the truth, whether there was any goodness in what was said, and finally whether what was said was useful?
If you didn’t and still listened, if you didn’t and still jettisoned the talks, then start filtering what you hear from now on. India and Pakistan need peace. We can’t afford anything else, so all you good people who are talking towards giving us that peace, see whether what you say from today passes the test Socrates talked about so many hundreds of years ago, if not go back to your homes and do something else..!
—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com
Wait a moment,” Socrates replied. “Before you tell me I’d like you to pass a little test: It’s called the Triple Filter Test.” “Triple filter?” “That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my student let’s take a moment to filter what you’re going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”
“No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and...” “All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?” “No, on 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 the test though, because there is a third filter - 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. This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem. Yes, my dear talkers on both the Indian and Pakistan side; is what you are saying passing the triple filter test? Last week both of your delegations were angry because of some loose talk, but before you listened to all the so called loose talk did you ask yourself, whether it was the truth, whether there was any goodness in what was said, and finally whether what was said was useful?
If you didn’t and still listened, if you didn’t and still jettisoned the talks, then start filtering what you hear from now on. India and Pakistan need peace. We can’t afford anything else, so all you good people who are talking towards giving us that peace, see whether what you say from today passes the test Socrates talked about so many hundreds of years ago, if not go back to your homes and do something else..!
—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com
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