Hi Friends. Since 1999, I have been collecting loads of articles on Friendship, God, Parents, Festivals & Love. I would love to share these articles with all of you, but I don't make any promise of posting once in a week. I will post them whenever I'll get time & I'll try to be more regular on MS.

Speech plays an important part in our lives. It has the potential to make friends or enemies. It can lead to war or peace. Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, lauds speech that it good and useful. This is best illustrated by an anecdote from his life.

One day, the philosopher cam upon an acquaintance who ran up to him and said, “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students”?

“Wait a minutes,” Socrates replied. “Before you tell me, I’d like to conduct a little test. It is called the “Triple Filter Test”.

“Triple Filter Test”?

“That’s right,” continued Socrates, “Before you talk to me about my student, let’s take a moment to filter what you are 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 is true or not. Now, let’s try the second filter, of goodness. Are you about to tell me something about my student?” “No, on the contrary…”.

“So, “Socrates went on, you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you’re not certain if it’s true”. The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

“You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter-Of usefulness, Is what you want to say about my student going to be useful to me” asked Socrates.

“No, not really…”.

“Well, “concluded the philosopher, “if you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor useful, why tell me at all”? Thus Socrates taught the man that one should not talk ill of others. Mahatama Vidur too says that a man who does not indulge in slander is happy.

Manusmriti also lays great importance on the ethics of speech. Silence is golden. However, withholding material facts when they have bearing on a case is lying. We must raise our voice against evil. Our silence in the face of criminal activity or unjust conduct makes us as guilty as the perpetrator of the evil act.