Took the train to Putrajaya last week and had tea with a friend at a lakeside restaurant which resembled a similar outlet on Kampung Air in Bandar Seri Begawan. It was kinda like deja vu. We had a good chat for a solid two hours but unfortunately we had to leave before we could see the sun set.
We spoke about prejudice and in the misguided joy some people (ex-boyfriends, ex-brothers-in-law, ex-wives and second wives included) take in destroying a person's reputation. I said this was nothing new to me. I've faced prejudice for a quarter of a century, so what's one more ignorant idiot? Being a genius born ahead of my time, it's so easy to be misunderstood by people who are not my intellectual equal. When they don't understand me, they label me as "crazy."
A trivial example of being ahead of my time was 22 years ago; I was the first person in Malaysia to ride on my motorbike with my lights on in the daytime. All motorists would flash their lights at me and stick their arm out and signal with their fingers to let me know that I had my lights on. When I ignored them, they thought I was crazy to have my lights on in the daytime. Yes, I knew my lights are on. I did it for a purpose. I wanted to be visible and to be seen so that motorists would not accidentally knock me down. I'm not interested in switching it off "to save electricity" as most motorcyclists at the time thought. Nowadays, every motorcyclist switch on their lights during the day for the reason I mentioned.
Coming back to the gossipers who take glee in destroying another's reputation just for the fun of it or perhaps out of pure jealousy or even spite. I knew exactly what my friend was going through. Victim of some malicious juicy gossip by idle people to while away the time at birthday parties of second wives of golfing buddies. To them I can only say that every time you fitnah an innocent party, the aggrieved party will receive your pahala and you will receive dosa in return.
So before you speak, it may be a good idea to bear the Rotary Four-Way Test in mind:
The 4-Way Test
From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics, The 4-Way Test was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as Rotary International president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. This simple test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all dealings with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary International in 1943, The 4-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:
"Of the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"
The Triple Filter Test
In ancient Greece, the philosopher Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and intellectual and said, "Do you know what I just heard about one of your friends?"
"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?" asked the man.
"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 wanted to tell it to you."
"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, it is bad."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. 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," replied the man.
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, and nor even useful to me, why tell it to me at all."
So before you speak, please use The Triple Filter or The 4-Way Test. If it doesn't pass muster, please shut up. If you fitnah an innocent party, you have nothing to gain but dosa.
An arrow which has left the bow and killed an innocent soul,
and a spoken-word which has come out of your mouth
and hurt someone's heart,
both can never be recalled.
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Copyright 2003-2004 Azlan Adnan Legal Notice
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