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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 that
were strapped to their arms 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.' |
