Here's a little parable, offered in a blog comment here by Steve DeSanto:
A man moved to a new town. He asked a local resident whether the people there were friendly or not.
The resident asked the man, “What were people like where you used to live?”
The newcomer scowled and said, “They were really an unfriendly and rude bunch, and I couldn’t wait to get away from that place.”
The resident said, “Well, I’m afraid you’ll find the people here are pretty much the same.”
A week later, another man came to town. He happened to meet the same resident and asked him the same question. The local asked this second newcomer the same question: “What were the people like in the town where you used to live?”
This newcomer smiled and said, “Oh, that town was the friendliest place you could ever imagine.”
The local returned the smile and said, “Well, I’m glad to hear it, I think you’ll find people here are very friendly too.”
