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Heaven and hell

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A woman who had worked all her life for good causes was granted a strange wish: “Before I die, let me visit both hell and heaven”. God granted her wish, and she was whisked off to hell by an angel. To her surprise, she found it was a vast, sumptuous banqueting hall. As far as the eye could see, the tables were piled high with delicious food and drink. Around the tables sat people – but they were miserable and starving.

“Why are they like that?” she asked.

“Look at their spoons” the angel replied. She looked and saw the handles were so long that the people couldn’t use them to put food in their mouths. “This is hell!”, the woman said. “Take me away from here!”

So she was  taken to heaven. To her amazement, she found herself in an identical, vast banqueting hall. Again, the tables were piled high with delicious food and drink. Again, people sat around the tables – but this time they were happy, joyful and well-nourished. She looked at the spoons and was surprised to see they were just the same as the ones in hell. “But, how can they eat?” she asked.

“In heaven”, the angel replied, “we feed each other”.

Related material:
>  An alternative version [Youtube video]

by Jeremy Marchant . last updated 22 december 2014 . image:  Freeimages

Further reading

  • Saying ‘no’:  13 tipsSaying ‘no’: 13 tips
  • The power of musicThe power of music
  • A short piece about how we process informationA short piece about how we process information
  • Dip into the bran tubDip into the bran tub
  • A short piece about dealing with difficult peopleA short piece about dealing with difficult people
  • TrainTrain
  • On politics and politicians—2On politics and politicians—2
  • Shield your eyesShield your eyes
  • Stages of personal development—2  Stage 1:  DependenceStages of personal development—2 Stage 1: Dependence
  • What goes around comes aroundWhat goes around comes around