A man died and St. Peter asked him if he would like to go to
heaven or hell. The man asked if he could see both before deciding. St. Peter
took him to hell first and the man saw a big hall with a long table, lots of
food on it and music playing. He also saw rows of people with pale, sad faces.
They looked starved and there was no laughter. And he observed one more thing.
Their hands were tied to four-foot forks and knives and they were trying to get
the food from the center of the table to put into their mouths. But they
couldn't. Then, he went to see heaven. There he saw a big hall with a long
table, with lots of food on the table and music playing. He noticed rows of
people on both sides of the table with their hands tied to four-foot forks and
knives also. But he observed there was something different here. People were
laughing and were well-fed and healthy-looking. He noticed that they were
feeding one another across the table. The result was happiness, prosperity,
enjoyment, and gratification because they were not thinking of themselves
alone. The same is true of our lives.
