 the parable of the long-handled spoons. A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and said, God, I would like to know what heaven and hell are like. God led the holy man to two doors. She 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. God then said, you have now seen hell. They then 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 a large pot of stew, which made the holy man's mouth water. The people here were equipped with the same long handled spoons. However, the people here were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, I don't understand. It is simple, said God. It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves. This is an old but gold kind of parable that has a pretty popular following. Although the tale has been told in almost every culture and religion, everywhere from Hindu to Buddhist to the Abrahamic faiths, most sources credit it to Rabbi Haim of Ramshishak and say that it originated in Jewish folklore. Now, there are many interpretations of this parable, depending on the cultural context, but the bottom line is a message of kindness that encourages people to be good to each other. The parable often suggests that people have the opportunity to use what they've been given. In this case, long spoons and stew, or in the Chinese version, rice and long chopsticks to help nourish each other. But the core problem lies in how people treat each other. In other words, given the same level playing field, one group of people who treat each other well will create a pleasant environment for everyone, where everyone is fulfilled, happy and working together for mutual benefit. Whereas another group of people, given the exact same tools to work with, can create unpleasant conditions simply by how they treat each other. Sometimes we get so caught up in all the chaos of our own lives that we forget that everyone else is also going through their own troubles as well, and that sometimes, by reaching out a hand and helping others, both of you can benefit. In fact, it's often said that this is a great technique for helping with depression and anxiety. Doing something meaningful for someone else and helping someone who needs it actually give you a great boost of self-esteem and help you gain perspective and tackle your problems from a new angle. More abstractly speaking, I think this parable is speaking to how we have the ability to create our own reality. If you put out an energy of compassion and help those around you, that's what you're going to manifest in your life. But if you choose to retreat inward, close yourself off and focus only on your own wants and desires and ignore everyone else, simply put, you get what you give. Perhaps the only difference between heaven and hell is how we choose to experience life.