What do you see?

"A man entered a village and went to the monastery on the edge of town, where he was welcomed by an old monk, the wise man of the village. The visitor said, “I am deciding whether I should move here or not. I’m wondering what kind of neighborhood this is. Can you tell me about the people here?”

The old monk said, “Tell me what kind of people lived where you came from.” The visitor said, “Oh, they were highway robbers, cheats and liars.” The monk said, “You know, those are exactly the same kinds of people who live here.” The visitor left the village and never came back.

Half an hour later, another man entered the village. He sought out the wise old man and said, “I’m thinking of moving here. Can you tell me what kind of people live here?” Again the monk said, “Tell me what kind of people lived where you came from.” The visitor said, “Oh, they were the kindest, gentlest, most compassionate, most loving people. I shall miss them terribly. The old monk said, “Those are exactly the kinds of people who live here, too.”

A quote:  "We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." -Anaïs Nin

In other words, what you see is what you get.

APPLY:  A person's perspective colors their entire life.  Everyone you know is living with an invisible set of sunglasses on their face that shades how they see life around them.  Taken further, you could also add a set of ear buds filtering how one hears and takes in information.  
That said, it becomes critical to understand oneself.  To self reflect.  Self reflection becomes vital to healthy relationships because if one is not in touch with themselves to some degree, then they run the risk of distorting everything around them.  We all think that being broken is the worst thing for us but it is equally risky to be bent.

A question:  Do you relate more with the first or the second traveler?