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An old farmer was standing by his pasture fence when a car passing by pulled over. A big, florid-faced man rolled down the window and hailedhim. "Hey, fella! I just bought a house nearby. What are the neighbors like here?"
"Well, what were the folks like where you just moved from?"
"Oh, Cheezus! They were awful! The stupidest, rudest, lyingest, backstabbingest buncha folks you'd never want to meet!"
The old farmer shook his head mournfully. "Bad luck, fella. The folks in these parts are just exactly the same."
With a look of disgust, the driver revved up his car and sped away.
A little while later, another car pulled over. A young man rolled down his car window and hailed the farmer. "Say, neighbor! I just bought a house nearby. What can you tell me about the folks around here?"
"Well, what were the folks like where you just moved from?"
The young man's face lit up. "Oh, they were wonderful! Kind, helpful, great to talk with -- I hated to have to move away, but I got transferred."
"You're in luck, then -- the folks around here are exactly the same!"***
"A wise man can learn something from even a fool. A fool cannot learn anything, even from a wise man."***
It is a small soul that cannot stand the idea of the existence of anything greater than itself.***
From more recent popular culture: In one of Piers Anthony'snovels, a young man is in a music contest. In the final round, he plays a duet with the other finalist. He plays well, but the other player really soars. After the contest, he is amazed when the judges award him the prize. Their explanation? When the two played together, he played a little better than he had played alone -- but the other player played much better than she had played alone. Therefore he had added to her playing more than she had added to his. He won first prize.***
Questions for the reader: How interesting are the people around you? Do they become greater, or lesser, in your company?
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