RIP ~ Like all the greats, Mr. Michael Jackson left behind his art to be enjoyed forever and we can take comfort knowing that he is always only a song away.   

In two weeks three years will have passed since that awful day and I thought about Michael today when I saw the below writing, I remember how Quincy Jones had said that Michael kept little quotes in his pocket and would take them out to read while filming The Wiz and that he had trouble pronouncing the name of Socrates, the below are words by that great philosopher that are just as relevant today as they were 2500 years ago and words that everyone should live by. 

In ancient Greece (469 – 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about Diogenes?”

“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?” asked the acquaintance.

“That’s right,” Socrates continued, “Before you talk to me about Diogenes 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 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 Diogenes something good?”

“No, on the contrary…”

“So,” Socrates continued, “You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, 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 Diogenes 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 or anyone at all?”

or another way I like..."If you didn't see it with your own eyes or hear it with your own ears, don't invent it with your small mind and share it with your big mouth".