“At the entrance of a quiet little town there was an old man sitting on a bench.
Since he was already retired and was the oldest man in the village, he spent the day sitting, greeting everyone who came in and out of the town.
One day a stranger arrived, approached him and after greeting him asked:
Sir, I plan to stay and live in this place. What are the people of this town like?
First, tell me what the people of the town where you lived were like, the old man replied.
The people in the town where I lived were gossipy, scheming, bitter, they were always in a bad mood, that’s why I decided to move.
Oh, gosh, what a coincidence, the people of this town are just like that, gossipy, bitter and scheming, the old man explained.
A few minutes later another man was entering the city interested in living in the town, who upon seeing the old man approached him and asked him the same question:
What are the people of this town like?
Before I answer, tell me what the people were like in the city where you lived?
The people of the town where he lived were helpful, cheerful, hard-working, honest, friendly and very cheerful.
That’s how the people of this place are! said the old man.
Another man who was secretly nearby and listening to the conversations, asked the old man:
How is it possible that you give two totally opposite, different answers to the same question?
Because bitterness and frustration, as well as joy and optimism, are personal burdens and behaviors that people have and that they carry with them wherever they live in the world.
The problem is not in the environment but in the hearts of people.
And how “right” he was, right?”