A holy man was having a conversation with the LORD one day and he said, "LORD, I would like to know what Heaven and hell are like."
The LORD led the holy man to two doors. He opened the doors and the holy man looked inside. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew that smelled so delicious that it even made the holy man's mouth water.
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly looking. They appeared to be famished. They were all holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each one found that, although they were able to reach into the pot and take a spoonful, because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back to their mouths. This made the holy man shudder at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The LORD told the holy man, "You have now seen hell."
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was a large round table with the large pot of delicious stew that smelled so good that it smelled so god and made the holy man's mouth water. And the people were equipped with the same long handled spoons strapped to their arms. But these people were well nourished and plump. They were all laughing and talking and having just a wonderful, joyous time.
This puzzled the holy man so he told the LORD, "I don't understand. Why are they well fed and happy but the others are in such horrible situation. They BOTH have the same resources available. How can this be?"
"It's very 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."
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of the owners.
--- Proverbs 1:19
