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."