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See No, Hear No, Speak No
by Guy Spiro

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On a windowsill in my office sits a little bronze statue that was a gift from someone who knows how much I have always liked those three famous monkeys. The first has his hands over his eyes, the second is covering his ears, and the third has his hands holding his mouth closed. Even as a child, it seemed to me good advice to See no Evil, Hear no Evil and to Speak no Evil. As I’ve grown older, my understanding of this advice has deepened.

To see no evil does not mean to be blind to the things in the world that could be improved. It does not mean to remain willfully ignorant, resist learning or to avoid the raising of consciousness. It does not even mean to pretend that people always have the best interest of others in mind. It does mean to not go looking for wrong at every opportunity. It does mean to not delight in the misfortune of others. And further, it means to not focus on the mistakes of those around us so as to feel better about ourselves.

To hear no evil does not mean to close the mind to the input of the world. It does not mean that unpleasant information should be disregarded. It does not mean that one should not hear the whole spectrum of available experience, even that which is considered undesirable. It does mean to not seek out and delight in the gossip about others. It does mean to not listen for every negative and frightening bit of news and take it to heart. And it does mean to not be the person that everyone else dumps their negativity on.

To speak no evil does not mean to not speak your truth. It does not mean to stand by and let unpleasant things occur unchallenged. It does not mean to be a doormat for those in the world who are more aggressive. It does mean to not relish the telling of negative things about others. It does mean to not utter untruths about others for fun and profit. And it also means to not participate in the spread of ignorance and fear.

Someone very wise once said, be ye gentle as doves but wise as serpents. Those three little monkeys seek to do no harm. But they also mean to generate more light.