" All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the
dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but
the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with
open eyes to make it possible" T.E. Lawrence
Welcome! How time flies! We are in April already! There is a lot to be grateful for if not anything for the life that we have. I came across this story on line and thought it will be useful if we also filter test our dreams.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to be held in high esteem because of his knowledge. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, 'Do you know what I just heard about your friend?'
Welcome! How time flies! We are in April already! There is a lot to be grateful for if not anything for the life that we have. I came across this story on line and thought it will be useful if we also filter test our dreams.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to be held in high esteem because of his knowledge. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, 'Do you know what I just heard about your friend?'
'Hold on a minute,' Socrates replied.
'Before telling me anything 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 friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. 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 friend something good?'
'No, on the contrary...'
'So,' Socrates continued, 'you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend 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?'
This is why Socrates was a great philosopher & held in such high esteem.
Let us see how we can apply the triple filter test to living our dreams.
1. IS THIS DREAM AUTHENTICALLY ME?
In applying this filter, we are saying to ourselves, what is my reason for picking this particular expression of the dream in my heart? Can it be because I possess the gifting, talent and passion to keep at it? Or is it because it is what seems to be lucrative right now in society? This question is expedient because, any dream that is not lived from the inside out cannot stand the test of time.
2. WHY THIS DREAM?
Every dreamer must be able to say why they pick a specific dream, is it going to in any way affect anyone negatively, remotely or directly? Our dreams are meant to be about enhancing, and if we cannot point out the potential good within any dream, it might be wise to reconsider running with it. Socrates asked his self appointed informant, 'will it portray the other party in a good light?’ We need to think through how our actions will affect others especially those closest to us. As a married individual, how does your dream affect your partner for instance? How does it affect your children? If you found the cure for ailment A, does it potentially trigger off ailments B, C and D as side effects? This is also the balance filter.
3. WHAT VALUE DOES MY DREAM HOLD FOR SOCIETY?
Every dream God puts in our heart is meant to benefit mankind, this is why we say for the glory of God and the service of mankind. So every dreamer needs to be sure that his or her dream has this value question answered. Why spend time, energy and resources on something that has no value? Even if it is a semblance of what already exists, it is important that it carries value far and beyond what already exists.
Remember that a dream is only alive if you are awake. As you take another step towards achieving your dream, don't forget that no matter how dark it becomes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You will make it NeverTheLess, you will.
'Triple filter?'
'That's right,' Socrates continued.
'Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. 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 friend something good?'
'No, on the contrary...'
'So,' Socrates continued, 'you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend 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?'
This is why Socrates was a great philosopher & held in such high esteem.
Let us see how we can apply the triple filter test to living our dreams.
1. IS THIS DREAM AUTHENTICALLY ME?
In applying this filter, we are saying to ourselves, what is my reason for picking this particular expression of the dream in my heart? Can it be because I possess the gifting, talent and passion to keep at it? Or is it because it is what seems to be lucrative right now in society? This question is expedient because, any dream that is not lived from the inside out cannot stand the test of time.
2. WHY THIS DREAM?
Every dreamer must be able to say why they pick a specific dream, is it going to in any way affect anyone negatively, remotely or directly? Our dreams are meant to be about enhancing, and if we cannot point out the potential good within any dream, it might be wise to reconsider running with it. Socrates asked his self appointed informant, 'will it portray the other party in a good light?’ We need to think through how our actions will affect others especially those closest to us. As a married individual, how does your dream affect your partner for instance? How does it affect your children? If you found the cure for ailment A, does it potentially trigger off ailments B, C and D as side effects? This is also the balance filter.
3. WHAT VALUE DOES MY DREAM HOLD FOR SOCIETY?
Every dream God puts in our heart is meant to benefit mankind, this is why we say for the glory of God and the service of mankind. So every dreamer needs to be sure that his or her dream has this value question answered. Why spend time, energy and resources on something that has no value? Even if it is a semblance of what already exists, it is important that it carries value far and beyond what already exists.
Remember that a dream is only alive if you are awake. As you take another step towards achieving your dream, don't forget that no matter how dark it becomes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You will make it NeverTheLess, you will.
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Sistar B
Sistar B
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