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 of them 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 spoon 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 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 only think of themselves."
