Friday, 5 June 2009
A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and said. “God, I would like to know what heaven and hell are like.” God led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked inside. In the middle of the room was a large round table with a large pot of stew on it. It smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were sickly, thin, and appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. However, the handle was longer than their arms, so they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. God said, “What you have seen is hell.” They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. In the middle of the room was a large round table with a large pot of stew on it. The people were equipped with the same long handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished, laughing, and talking. The holy man said, “I do not 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.”