What are the People Like?
A Fable
Once upon a time, a couple from Vancouver considered moving to Pender Harbour.
They sought out our wisest elder, Pender Dan, and asked him, "Venerable elder, we are thinking of moving here. We don't like where we live now, and we are looking for a better place. What are the people like, here in Pender Harbour?"
The old man considered them for a moment, then asked, "What are the people like in your neighbourhood?"
The couple replied, "Well! They are the reason we want to move! They’re horrid people; mean and unfriendly, the worst neighbours you could possibly imagine."
Pender Dan sighed and said, "I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’ll find that the people here are exactly the same way.”
The couple were disappointed, and they decided to forget about moving to Pender Harbour. Pender Dan couldn’t offer any suggestions, but someone had told them the Okanagan was a nice place to live, so that’s where they headed.
Later, a different couple (also from Vancouver) came by to ask the same question to Pender Dan, what are the people like here? He responded the same way as he had with the first couple, asking, "What are the people like in your neighbourhood?"
The second couple said, "Oh, they are the most wonderful, helpful, friendly and fun people in the world. It’s going to be hard to leave, we have so many good friends there. We’ll really miss them but it’s time to move on."
Pender Dan smiled and said, "You’ll be happy to hear that the people in Pender Harbour are exactly like the ones in the neighbourhood you’re leaving. You’ll really like it here."
The second couple moved to Pender Harbour, where they lived happily ever after.
The first couple? Last we heard, they were touring Africa, considering immigrating to another country. Apparently a real estate agent in the Okanagan suggested they buy a one-way ticket to Timbuktu...
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