Alexander and Diogenes Now when Alexander [the Great] appeared before the Greek leaders in Corinth they

greeted him warmly and paid him lavish compliments- all of them, that is but on e. A funny fellow, a philosopher named Diogenes. He had views not unlike those o f the Buddha. According to him, possessions and all the things we think we need only serve to distract us and get in the way of our simple enjoyment of life. So he had given away everything he owned and now sat, almost naked, in a barrel in the market square in Corinth where he lived, free and independent like a stray dog. Curious to meet this strange fellow, Alexander went to call on him. Dressed in s hining armour, the plume on his helmet waving in the breeze, he walked up to the barrel and said to Diogenes: 'I like you. Let me know your wish and I shall gra nt it.' Diogenes, who had until then been comfortably sunning himself, replied: 'Indeed, Sire, I have a wish.' 'Well, what is it?' 'Your shadow has fallen over me: stand a little less between me and the sun.' Alexander is said to have been so struck by this that he said: 'If I weren't Alexander, I should like to be Dio genes.' Source: "A Little History Of The World" by E.H. Gombrich -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Testing for gossip In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One da y an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, ?Do you know what I just h eard about your friend?? ?Hold on a minute,? Socrates replied. ?Before telling me anything I?d like you t o 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 m ight 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 l et?s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tel l 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 on e filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my fr iend going to be useful to me?? ?No, not really ?? ?Well,? concluded Socrates, ?if what you want to tell me is neither true nor goo d nor even useful, why tell it to me at all??