The Parable Of The Spoons

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,"Lord, can you please explain the difference between Heaven and Hellto me?"The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors andthe holy man looked in.In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle ofthe table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made theholy man's mouth water.The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. Theyappeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very longhandles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew andtake 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. TheLord said, "You have seen Hell."They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly thesame as the first one. There was the large round table with the largepot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water.The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but herethe people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. Theholy man said, "I don't understand."It is simple" said the Lord, "it requires but one skill. You see, theyhave learned to feed each other while the greedy think only ofthemselves. "You have seen Heaven."