The Test of the Three Sieves

In a world of constant communication and outrage, how can we have better conversations? Ancient wisdom from Socrates provides a simple but powerful answer.

This episode takes us back to ancient Greece, where Socrates shared a tool called the "Test of Three Sieves" that can help us have more thoughtful conversations in the modern digital age. By running our words through three filters - truth, kindness, and usefulness - we can avoid mindless gossip and instead choose speech that builds others up.

2:30 - The story of how Socrates taught the Test of Three Sieves.

5:10 - How gossip corrodes trust and distracts us from self-improvement.

7:45 - The challenge: start using the three sieves to filter your speech. Ask yourself if what you're about to say is true, kind, and useful.

9:20 - A modern example of how to apply the three sieves to curb gossip.

Key Takeaways:

- Speaking without filtering causes harm: it spreads misinformation, breeds distrust, and distracts us from growth.

- The three sieves provide a simple test to improve our speech: truth, kindness, usefulness.

- Restraint in speech is strength. Staying silent preserves dignity and makes you more trustworthy.

- Uplifting others is a superpower in a gossip-addicted world.

Want to raise your standards of speech and character? Don't miss this insightful episode. Listen now!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Approche Production.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hey team that ads are here working back to the
building Better Human's Project podcasts. Today, I ought to take
you back in time to ancient Greece to sit at
the feet of one of the greatest minds to ever
walk the earth, Socrates. And from that ancient world, I
want to bring you a simple tool, a test, a
filter that is more relevant today than it was two
and a half thousand years ago. It's called the test

(00:32):
of the Three Sieves, and I believe if more people
used it, especially now in this world of constant communication,
social media, outrage, culture and gossip, would have better conversations,
better relationships, and I think better mental health. So let's
dive in. The story goes like this. One day a
man approached Socrates, who had already had a strong reputation

(00:52):
for wisdom, and said, do you know what I've just
heard about your friend? Now. Socrates didn't bite, he didn't
lean in eager to hear the latest gossip or scandal.
He just paused and he said, before you tell me,
I'd like to test it with the three sibs. And
the man looked confused and said three sieves, and Socrates
explained yes, before speaking about someone else, I find it

(01:15):
helpful to run the words through three filters. The first
is truth. Have you checked if what you're about to
say is true? The man replied, well, no, I just
heard it all right, said Socrates. So you don't know
for sure. Let's move to the second sieve, kindness is
what you want to say? Something good? And the man

(01:35):
said no, quite the opposite. So Socrate continued, you want
to tell me something negative and you're not even sure
if it's true, But perhaps it passes to the third sieve, utility?
Is it useful to me? Will it help me in
some way? And the man admitted no, not really, And
with that Socrate is calmly concluded, if you want to
tell me is neither true, nor kind nor useful, why

(01:58):
tell me at all? Simple? Right, profound, and I think timeless.
Bring that to today, in an age where we have
endless opportunities to speak online, on apps, in comments sections,
at work, in social groups, how often do we speak
without filtering? We share rumors, we repost half truths, we

(02:20):
send screenshots without context. We call it just having a chat,
we call it concern, we call it venting. But let's
be real, A lot of the time, it's just gossip
and gossip, as Pope Francis once said, seems enjoyable at first,
but it fills our hearts with bitterness and poisons as all.
It's a subtle poison. It corrodes trust, it's so's division,

(02:42):
it ruins reputations, and worst of all, it distracts us
from doing our own work on ourselves in the world.
So I want to offer you this challenge. Start using
the three sieves. Start filtering your words, not to become silent,
not to tiptie around others, but to raise the standard
of your speech and your character. And here's how of truth.

(03:05):
Before you pass on information, ask is this confirmed? Is
it fact or just a rumor? If you don't know,
don't share. The sieve of kindness, Ask is what I'm
about to say kind Does it come from a good place?
Even truth, if spoken without kindness, can do damage. The
sieve of usefulness. Does the person I'm telling need to

(03:27):
know this? Will it help them in any way? If
it's just to serve the pot or feel the silence,
let it go. Now. Let me give you a modern example.
Imagine this. You're scrolling your feed and you see someone
post about a mutual acquaintance. Maybe they're showing off, or
maybe they're doing something that rubs you the wrong way.
So you take a screenshot, you send it to a
friend with a message, have a look at this, clown. Stop,

(03:49):
ask yourself, is what I'm saying true? Is it kind?
Is it useful? No? Then delete it, don't hit send
the small moment of restraint. That's growth, that's wisdom, that's discipline.
Because every time you choose not to gossip, not to
tear someone down, you protect your own peace, You preserve
your own dignity. You become someone other people can trust.

(04:12):
Here's the truth. Speaking well of others, even when they're
not around, is a superpower in a world addicted to
tearing people down. You stand out when you choose to
build people up. And if you can't build them up,
at least don't contribute to their destruction. You're not weak
for staying silent, you're strong for staying in control. So

(04:32):
today's challenge is real simple. Use the three sieves. Filter
your speech, truth, kindness, usefulness, and when in doubt, say nothing,
because silence, when guided by wisdom, speaks louder than any
words rooted in ignorance or ego. That's the team. Thanks
for joining me on the Building Better Humans Project podcast Again.

(04:54):
If today's episodes resonates, please share it with someone who
needs to hear it, unless be people who raise the
standard not just on how we live, but how we speak.
Till next time, Stay strong, stay kind, Hey Building, thanks.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
For listening to this episode of The Building Better Humans
Podcast with your host Glenn Asa for feedback. To stay
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head over to one eighty dot net dot au Yeah,
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