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 just 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.