How to call into the world

If you go through life with a smile, you will see many laughing faces. Exactly this phenomenon is the subject of the following short story.

An old man once sat outside the gates of the city. Anyone who wanted to enter the city passed him. A stranger stopped and asked the old man: “Say, how are the people here in the city?

“What were they like where you were last,” the old man asked back.
“Wonderful. I felt very comfortable there. They were friendly, generous and always ready to help.
“They will also be here like that.
Then another stranger came to the old man. He also asked: “Tell me age, how are the people here in the city?
“What were they like where you were last?” was the counter-question.
“Terrible. They were mean, unfriendly, no one helped the other.
“So, I fear, they will also be here.