About 2,500 years ago, there was a monarch of a small country in China. He had a worry: His people often crossed borders into neighboring countries, so the population and the tax revenue reduced. When Confucius came to visit the monarch with his disciples, he asked Confucius, confiding his troubles,
“Teacher, my people run away day after day. Should I build up a great wall to stop them?”
Confucius replied,
“If you please those who are near you, even the people far away will get close to you.”
He meant that if the monarch pleased his people by ruling them well, the news would spread to neighboring countries and even the people living far away would stream into the country.
Now your top priority is to treasure and treat people close to you well such as your parents, children, brothers and sisters, spouse, friends, and colleagues. When you do not lose them, you can keep a good relationship with new people, too.