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.
