Three Gates
Tim Griffin

Three Gates by Tim Griffin, 2022

The first amendment of the U. S. Constitution
Recognizes five freedoms in one resolution
But with these rights come responsibilities
For speech, consider a guy named Socrates
An ancient Greek who made an excellent suggestion
Before we speak, we should ask three questions

Is it true? Is it useful? Is it kind?
I’m in favor of free speech, but if you don’t mind
I’d like to tell you about the three gates of Socrates
‘Cause they belong on the top of your bill of responsibilities.

Gate one, is it true?
Ooh, here’s an exciting allegation somebody shared with you
That fits your worldview, and all your friends are repeating it
But if you can’t confirm it, consider deleting it
But wait, you got multiple sources? Great!
But if they’re all feeding off the same plate
Or if they’re all working for the same news network
Then it doesn’t add up to independent corroboration
It’s only repetition of dubious information
Speech is a right, but it’s your responsibility
To speak the truth to the best of your ability

Is it true? Is it useful? Is it kind?
I’m in favor of free speech, but if you don’t mind
I’d like to tell you about the three gates of Socrates
‘Cause they belong on the top of your bill of responsibilities.

Gate two, is it useful?
When I read some text about an actor and his ex
I don’t need every detail about their mess!
I’ve got enough stress, just like the rest of the nation
So spare us this insidious ubiquitous titillation
A real reporter reports a real story
Instead of only amplify inflammatory oratory
So if you need more followers, lead!
Stop reporting and repeating and resharing and retweeting
Every silly celebrity scandal that is bleeding in the headlines tonight
Speech is a right, but once in a while
Try to speak for substance, not for style.

Is it true? Is it useful? Is it kind?
I’m in favor of free speech, but if you don’t mind
I’d like to tell you about the three gates of Socrates
Because we need free speech on our bill of responsibilities!

Gate three, is it kind?
You don’t got to be like sunshine and rainbows all the time
But if the only motivation of your speech is for spite
Then it may feel cathartic but you’ve already lost the fight.
Cruelty’s easy but you don’t have to retweet it
And nasty notes in the comments will be deleted.
But hey, someone said or did a bad thing, you say?
Listen, I do ten dumb things on a good day.
Before you do a dog-pile denunciation
Of every unintentional micro-aggression situation
First try a few words of kindly correction
Maybe your recipient is ready to receive a lesson
Or maybe not, but at least you should try
Because if you hate cancellation, how’s it okay for that other guy?
Speech is a right, but whenever you can
Try to speak with kindness; it’s like water to a thirsty man.

Is it true? Is it useful? Is it kind?
I’m a huge fan of freedom but I have to remind
You about the three gates of Socrates
So we can keep free speech among our self-regulated liberties.

In conclusion, free speech is the oxygen of democracy
And what I say today may sound like hypocrisy
But paradoxically, before we let ‘er rip
Free speech requires a little bit of  self-censorship
Which does NOT mean do not speak your mind
But first: Is it true? Is it useful? Is it kind?
If you can’t say YES to at least two out of three
Maybe don’t re-peat, re-share, or re-tweet
Until you  re-consider what you wanted to say
Or maybe just say the same thing in a better way
The main thing is to think before you talk
Because liberty and responsibility have got to walk the same walk.

Notes

Here's the story of The Three Gates the way I heard it. One day the philosopher Socrates was approached by a friend who was excited to share some shocking information about a mutual acquaintance. Socrates held up a hand and said, "Whoa. Before you share, let's see if your story passes the three gates. First, how sure are you that this wonderful piece of gossip is actually true?" The friend admitted he had not verified the story.

Socrates continued. "Okay, next question: is this information useful somehow?" The friend admitted it was not very useful except for the shock value.

"One more question. Is it kind?" The friend had to admit his gossip was definitely not kind.

So the information was of uncertain truth, not useful for anything more than entertainment, and had nothing kind to say about the person who was the subject of the gossip. Therefore, Socrates urged his friend to keep the story to himself. Sometimes I wonder what and whom the gossip was about, but the story does not tell us; which of course is the whole point.

Fast-forward a few thousand years to an age where everyone can share information around the world in seconds, where ideas are evaluated not for truth or eloquence but for how many clicks and views they generate. Careless posting can hurt friends, provoke strangers, and sometimes even swing elections; while people argue about how and who should protect us from all of the toxic, often false information bombarding us through our phones and whether it is desirable or even possible to do so.

This argument misses the point. If we want a better internet (or a better society), we have to start with ourselves. The three gates are a good tool for that. Before you share, retweet, or whatever it is you kids do nowadays; ask yourself first if that thing you're about to share with the world is true, useful, and/or kind. You don't need a slam-dunk on all three, but try for at least two before you hit the button.

The story of Socrates and the three gates of speech is probably apocryphal, as it appears nowhere in Plato's works; so it fails to pass the gate of truth. Nonetheless, the three gates are an excellent filter, particularly on social media where we often forget there are real people on the other side of the screen. More importantly, the three gates may provide a useful entry to the tricky subject of how to balance our prized liberties with the self-regulation required of a free society, which is why this is the first song in a cycle tentatively called The Bill Of Responsibilities.

Academic Content Standards:
This song may be useful for discussing the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, as speech is one of the five freedoms enumerated there. I am working on songs about the other four.