There was a wise old...
Illustration
There was a wise old man who sat at the gate of an ancient city. A young traveler stopped before entering the city and asked the old man, "What kind of people live in this town?" The wise man answered with a question: "What kind of people were in the town from which you came?" "Oh, they were liars and cheats and thugs and drunks, terrible people," the young traveler replied. The old man shook his head, "The people in this town are the same way." Later another stranger paused to ask the same question, and again the wise man questioned his questioner: "What kind of people did you just leave?" The second traveler answered, "Oh, I left a fine town. The people were good and kind and honest and hardworking." The wise old man smiled and said, "The people in this town are the same way." People who are kind and forgiving toward others usually experience tolerance from others themselves; those who are harsh, judgmental, and critical toward others find that others exhibit much the same disposition toward them. What kind of people live in your town?
-- Lentz
-- Lentz
