Keep this in mind the next time you are about to repeat a rumour or spread gossip.
One day an acquaintance ran up to Peter excitedly and said, “Do you know what I just heard about John?”
“Wait a moment,” Peter replied, “Before you tell me I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.”
‘Triple filter?” asked the acquaintance.
“That’s right,” Peter continued, “Before you talk to me about John 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.”
“All right,” said Peter, “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 John something good?”
“No, on the contrary…”
“So,” Peter continued, “You want to tell me something about John that may be bad, even though you’re not certain it’s true?”
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Peter 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 John going to be useful to me?”
“No, not really.”
“Well,” concluded Peter, “If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?”
The man was bewildered and ashamed. This is how to keep your mind free of negative emotions and always focused on being a bright light in the world.
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