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a propos our conversation about appreciative communication on the internet, i remembered this today, by the buddha:
when admonishing someone, keep these six considerations in mind:
- is my heart free of malice towards this person?
- have i been guilty of this offence myself?
- do i speak at the right time?
- is this the truth?
- do i speak gently?
- am i concerned with profit to myself?
along the same lines, 19th century indian guru sai baba had these thoughts on mindful speech:
before you say anything, consider these questions:
- is it true?
- is it kind?
- is it necessary?
- will it improve on the silence?
i find the last one the most challenging, especially as a blogger.
is what i say better than silence?
(this post appears in the carnival of struggling bumbling newbies)



7 responses so far ↓
1 Jeff Youngstrom // Sep 1, 2007 at 6:29 pm
While #4 is hard as a blogger, it’s even harder as a commenter.
I find your posts better than silence more often than not.
I can’t forward your stuff to my wife, though, because her proofreader’s brain can’t get past the all lower case. Oops, is that an admonishment? Did I meet the six criteria? Maybe. I think so.
2 GDB // Sep 2, 2007 at 3:16 am
Silence is better than chocolate. Chocolate is better than most diets. Most diets are better than eating nothing at all. Eating nothing at all is better than eating a lot and working hard. Working hard and saying nothing and eating properly is better than doing nothing. Doing nothing is better than babbling.
I truely am mad comme tout, n’est-ce pas?
3 GDB // Sep 2, 2007 at 3:17 am
Hey! HEY!
The comments! It works!
* Does a little Hercule Poirot dance *
Huurah for you!
4 letter-writing » change therapy - isabella mori // Sep 7, 2007 at 7:29 am
[…] at regular intervals (for example jeff, here), people comment on the use of lower case in my writing on this blog. here, finally, is an explanation: […]
5 food addiction: another case of “duh” science » change therapy - isabella mori // Sep 15, 2007 at 8:12 am
[…] ok, time for another rant. looks like i can’t speak gently on that. sorry, buddha. […]
6 CG Walters // Dec 10, 2007 at 6:08 pm
I love the Sai Baba quote, Isabella.
Many blessings,
CG
CG Walters’s last blog post..Truth is But a Resting Place
7 SuccessPart2.Com // Dec 11, 2007 at 12:19 pm
carnival of struggling bumbling newbies - Dec 08, 2007…
Welcome to the December 8, 2007 edition of carnival of struggling bumbling newbies.
Edith presents 50 Habits of a Highly Effective Blogger posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..
Warren Wong presents How To Feel Better And Be Ha…
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