Mindful speech principles

[mac_stone]

I have a number of friends who work very hard to adhere to these guidelines, when choosing whether or not to say something:

Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?

I've been giving this a good deal of thought, of late. It honestly seems to me a pretty good rule of thumb for moving through the world.
I certainly have a temper, I know. So like most humans, I struggle from moment-to-moment with what to say, what to let go, and when to walk away.

ETA Meanwhile, I spent the day doing hoof-trims on a bunch of horses, and I'm staggering tired. So if I'm slow to respond in the comments, please know it's probably just because I fell asleep in my chair. For the record - this is NOT a conversation about race. Attempts to tie this conversation to the GCADofDoom2009 will be summarily deleted.

Comments

[mac-stone.livejournal.com]

Heh.

Like this:
http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_my_p_edwk_d/0_my_photographs_edinburgh_at_work_-_farrier_or19_large.jpg

[julia-reynolds.livejournal.com]

THAT is a heck of a tough way to make a living! I hope there's no biting....

[medievalist.livejournal.com]

Err . . . well, yes, sometimes there is biting. Mostly if the horse is not likely to be calm, you get someone to hold said critter. You'll note that the horse in the picture wants very much to see what's going on "Hey! That's my foot! What're you doin' with my foot, hunh??"

Some are so very polite that they will hold their foot out for you. Then there are the ones who decide you're a fence post and they'll just sorta lean on you . .

See why I think writing fiction would be a much better occupation?