PARABOLAS

The difference between heaven and hell

He has been there

A poet, it is said, was once strolling through the forest toward dusk when suddenly there appeared before him an apparition of the greatest of all poets, Virgil. Virgil told the awed poet that fate had smiled upon him and that he had been elected to be shown the secrets of Heaven and Hell. By magic Virgil transported himself n and the poet, who was still dazed by the suddenness of this experience, to the ancient and mythical river which surrounded the underworld. They got into a boat and Virgil instructed the poet to row them across the river to Hell. When they arrived the poet was somewhat surprised to find the terrain much like that of the forest they had just left and not made of fire and brimstone nor infested with winged demons and slimy fire breathing creatures as he had expected.

Virgil took the poets hand and led him down a path. Soon the poet could smell, as they approached a barrier of rocks and shrubs, the scent of the finely cooked stew. Mingled with the smells, however, were the eerie sounds of wailing and the gnashing of teeth. As they rounded the rocks they came upon an unusual sight. There was a large clearing in which were situated a number of huge round tables. In the middle of each table was an enormous bowl of the stew the poet had smelled and around each table were scores of emaciated and obviously hungry people. Each person held a spoon which they were using in an attempt to eat the stew. Because the table was so large, however, and the spoons had to be made so long in order to reach the bowl in the middle, the handles of the spoons were twice as long as the arms of the people using them. This made it impossible for any of the hungry people to put food in their mouths. There was much fighting and cursing as each person tried desperately to get even a dribble of the stew.

The poet was so moved by the terrible sight that he finally hid his eyes and begged Virgil to take him away. In a moment they were back on the boat and Virgil instructed the poet which way to row to get to heaven. When they arrived the poet was again surprised to find that the scene did not fit his expectations. This land was almost exactly like the one they had just left. There were no great pearl gates nor bands of singing angels. Again Virgil led the poet down a path where the smell of food emanated from behind a barrier of rocks and shrubs. This time, however, they heard song and laughter as they approached. When they rounded the barrier the poet was much surprised to find a set-up identical to the one they had just left; large tables surrounded by people with oversized spoons and a large bowl of stew in the center of each table. The one essential difference between this group of people and the one they had just left, however, was that the people in this group were using their spoons to feed each other.

Robert Dilts, John Grinder, Richard Bandler and Judith Delozier

In Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Suggest this page to a friend