The Parable Of The Spoons

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one
day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven
and Hell are like. "The Lord led the holy man to two
doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.
In the middle of the room was a large round table. In
the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which
smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and
sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were
holding spoons with very long handles and each found
it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a
spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their
arms, they could not get the spoons back into their
mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their
misery and suffering.

The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was
exactly the same as the first one. There was the large
round table with the large pot of stew which made the
holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with
the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were
well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The
holy man said, "I don't understand."

It is simple" said the Lord, "it requires but one
skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other.
While the greedy think only of themselves.