A man is on the fence about whether he should go to Heaven for his good deeds or to Hell for his bad deeds. St. Michael takes the man on a tour of Hell first: he is taken to a room in which a group of people sit around a huge table laid with the most succulent meal anyone can imagine. There is perfectly done turkey with all the trimmings, incredible desserts, braised hams, neatly grilled steaks, vegetables and fruits -- anything a person could want. The people, however, were acting like a pack of mad dogs. For the man noticed that all of the silverware on the table was of gigantic proportions. Each person struggled mightily to use the knives and forks and spoons to get the food cut and into their hungry mouths. However, the utensils were so big that not one person could succeed.
"How horrible," the man said, turning to St. Michael. "Now show me Heaven."
St. Michael gestured to another window into another room. The man was shocked to see the exact same room, with the same spread of foods and beverages, and containing the same oversized utensils, yet in this one all the people were happy and talking. As he watched, the man noted that whenever someone was hungry or wanted something, some of his companions would pick up utensils, cut it and serve it to the requester with the oversized utensils. In this way, everyone got to eat the food, everyone bonded and became closer, and all the people were satisfied and friendly.
The moral of this parable is, of course, that Heaven and Hell are what you make it.
I read today that a man and wife were, apparently, fired with cause from their respective jobs at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles, CA. Rather than risk these harsh economic times, the man and woman decided to kill their five children and then themselves. But first they faxed their intent to KABC TV news and called 911, so they would be found quickly. This seems to me to be a case of making a little bit of Hell on Earth.
One of my favorite sayings is "As long as there is life, there is hope." While I originally thought I had come up with this nifty quote on my own, I have since found it -- almost word for word -- in a variety of books. But, still, it is true: Death ends any possibility for change.
This man and woman may have been days, hours, or even minutes away from, I don't know, winning the lottery, getting a new job offer, having a family member or friend give them a lead on something, their children winning a reward at school... something positive.
No matter if there is a next life or what that next life entails, the man and woman in this article made it impossible for their family to experience anything more in this life. The murder-suicide of this family means that nothing more can occur here for them. In essence, they couldn't figure out to feed each other with the oversized utensils, and were left despondent, angry, and hungry.
These are harsh times. The world-wide economy is in the tank. The American economy is having its biggest struggles since the Great Depression. Many of the lessons of that generation became lost over the intervening time and a new generation is relearning them. However, there is no reason to think that these times will not pass. That, struggle though we may and possibly for a relatively long time, there are better days to come. And, if we learn those lessons we should (about buying with what you have, only using credit for the big ticket items like cars and houses, keeping three or more months rent/food/utilities in the bank at all times, etc.), the economy will once again grow and flourish and incredible advances may come out of it. The American economy, and the world's, will then be a stronger and more vibrant one. We will learn once more to feed each other with the oversized utensils and everyone will be happy, fulfilled, and satisfied.
Thoughtful observations and commentary that many people need to read and believe. It is unfathomable than anyone can consider killing children as a solution to anything in this world.
ReplyDeleteAsk and ye shall receive -- perhaps not what you want, but what you need. One positive message from our new President is that each and every one of us has to contribute, rather than only receive. There are so many avenues of help available that this horrendous tragedy need never to have happened.