Marya Mann : Blog : The Difference Between Heaven And Hell

The Difference Between Heaven and Hell

There’s a story, the allegory of the long spoons, which is beloved all over the world. It’s about a man who has a dream, and in the dream he dies and goes to hell.

While in hell, the man notices there are many tables, filled with sumptuous soups and plates of delicious food, but the people are sitting all around the great tables, starving to death! The hot food is enticing, and everyone lifts up a full spoon, but the spoons in their left hands are six-feet-long and the forks in their right hands are six-feet-long and they can’t bring food to their own mouths, so they are starving.

It breaks the dreamer’s heart to see their predicament and hear the tortured groans of these poor people as they hold their food so near but can’t consume it. With these overlong utensils, they can’t feed themselves and don’t think about feeding each other, so they are emaciated.

The next night, the man dreams of going to heaven.

When he gets to heaven he sees tables as far as the eyes can see, each filled with dishes of delectable, hot, wonderful food. Now the dreamer is very curious, for he sees that each being has a six-foot-long fork in his left hand, and a six-foot-long spoon in the other hand — it’s beginning to look like the same dream all over again!

Yet there’s a difference. All the people here are content and happy and satisfied.
Then he understands why. In heaven, they manage to eat and feel nourished because they dip into the dishes before them and then stretch across the table to feed the person across the table from them! The recipient of this kindness is thankful and returns the favor by leaning across the table to feed their benefactors.

Heaven and hell offer the same circumstances and conditions. The one difference is in the way people treat each other. There is enough to go around. We are safe, secure and supplied by all that we need when we recognize that every person is a spiritual being and it is our deepest nature and greatest joy to share, to give as well as receive.

The purpose of life is to love it, to taste experience fully and to reach out to embrace and feed each other eagerly, without fear of scarcity, with confidence in the finer experience, awareness and appreciation that comes with each new day.