This blog article is technically written by me, but the story below is not mine. I never knew where it came from, and after some research, I still don’t know. I found some variations out there, but this is the version that I heard when I was young, and have been re-telling for all of my adult life. The interesting thing about this story is that different people take different lessons from it. Those are my favorite kinds of stories.
The Shepherd and the Two Travelers (as retold by Moxie)
A shepherd tending to his flock meets a traveler passing by the outskirts of his village. The traveler calls to the shepherd, “Hello, my friend! I have traveled far looking for a new home. What are the people like in your village?”
The shepherd replies,” “How were the people in the village you came from?”
The traveler explains, “The people where I come from are selfish, petty, and corrupt, the worst sort of people you could know”
The shepherd shakes his head sadly and says “Well my friend, you will find the people in my village are just the same.”
Sometime later, another traveler passing through called out to the shepherd. He too asked about the people in the village. Again, the shepherd asked, “How were the people in your village?”
The new traveler replied, “The people in my village are kind, generous, and good people.”
The shepherd smiled and said, “Well my friend, you will find the people in my town are just the same.”