In Korea there is a legend about a native warrior who died and went to heaven. 'Before I enter,' he said to the gatekeeper, 'I would like you to take me on a tour of hell.' The gatekeeper found a guide to take the warrior to hell. When he got there he was astonished to see a great table piled high with the choicest foods. But the people in hell were starving. The warrior turned to his guide and raised his eyebrows.
'It's this way,' the guide explained. 'Everybody who comes here is given a pair of chopsticks five feet long, and is required to hold them at the end to eat. But you just can't eat with chopsticks five feet long if you hold them at the end. Look at them. They miss their mouths every time, see?'
The visitor agreed that this was hell indeed and asked to be taken back to heaven post-haste. In heaven, to his surprise, he saw a similar room, with a similar table laden with very choice foods. But the people were happy: they looked radiantly happy.
The visitor turned to the guide: 'No chopsticks I suppose?' he said. 'Oh yes,' said the guide, 'they have the same chopsticks, the same length, and they must be held at the end, just as in hell. But you see these people have learned that if a man feeds his neighbour, his neighbour will feed him also.'
written by John R Hogan
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