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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 (maybe 'Heavenly') 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."
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