Greed

 

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 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, while the greedy

think only of themselves.'

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