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Once upon a time there was an old man sitting at the entrance of a Middle East city.

A young man came closer to him and said: "I have never been here before, how are the people living in this town like?”. The old man replied with a question: "How were the people in the city where you come from like?", "Selfish and bad. This is the reason why I was glad to leave, said the young man". The old man thus replied: "Well, you will find the same people here".

A little later, another young man approached the old man and asked exactly the same question. "I just arrived in the region, how are the people living in this town like?" The old man answered with the same reply: "Tell me, my boy, how were the people in the city where you come from like?"; "They were kind and hospitable, honest, I had good friends over there and I found it very difficult to leave, replied the young man". "Well, you will find the same people here", replied the old man. 

A merchant who was making his camels drink nearby had heard both conversations. As soon as the second young man left, he addressed the old man with a tone of reproach: "How can you give two completely different answers to the same question?"; "The one who opens his heart also changes his regards on others", answered the old man. Everyone carries his world in his heart. 

This story reminds us that the outside world is often a reflection of our inner world.

[[fr:Comment sont les gens]]

[[Category:Mediation]]
[[Category:Metaphor in mediation]]