The world of the Interactive_Bot

Have you heard the old story of the gatekeeper? I don't remember the exact words, but I do remember the gist of the story and will do my best to relate it to you. Back in medieval times when most villages had walls around them, a gatekeeper was sitting at the village gate. The gatekeeper would deny or grant passage into the village. As it happened, one morning a traveler arrived at the gate of a very wise gatekeeper. "I am seeking a good place to stay," stated the traveler. "What kind of people live here?" The gatekeeper responded by asking, "Tell me, how did you find the people at the last village you stayed in?" "Oh, they were rude and unkind, and not helpful at all. It was a horrible place," answered the traveler. "That's amazing," said the gatekeeper, "those are the exact words I would use to describe this village. You would be wise to travel to the next village." With that, the traveler continued on his journey. A few hours later another traveler happened by. "Gatekeeper, what kind of people inhabit this village," the traveler asked. The gatekeeper again responded by asking, "Tell me, how did you find the people at the last village you stayed in?" "Oh, they were wonderful people. Friendly and helpful and kind. I made many friends there," the traveler answered. "That's amazing," said the gatekeeper, "those are the exact words I would use to describe this village. Please come in and stay with us for a while." The gatekeeper knew that people are much like mirrors, reflecting our own attitude back at us. He knew the first visitor would bring a bad attitude to his village, so he did not want to let him in. He knew the second visitor would add to the happiness of the whole village, so he was eager to have that visitor join them. Haven't we all noticed how friendly most people are when we meet them face-to-face while we're on vacation? Are they really that much friendlier than the everyday folks we deal with? Or are they reflecting our own attitude right back at us - an attitude that is enhanced by our vacation excitement and enthusiasm? Many times they are merely reflecting the attitude we bring to the table because most people allow others to set the dynamics of an encounter. Our attitude is our personal gatekeeper. It holds the key to our relationships, our happiness, and our success in most areas of life. Perhaps the most fortunate aspect of attitude is that it is not dependent on anything outside of ourselves - unless we allow it - a good attitude is a choice we can make every single day. If we don't choose our attitude, we are more susceptible to allowing others to determine it for us. Rather than being in control of our state of being, we are giving others the power to become our gatekeeper and we become their mirrors. However, if we consciously choose our attitude, few things will happen that spoil our day. With the right attitude, we stand a much better chance of being the kind of person we want to be regarded as and remembered for. ÷÷÷÷÷÷§÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷§÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷§÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷§÷÷÷÷÷÷
The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven.
~ John Milton ~