Allegory of the long spoons

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I remember the school Chaplain telling us this in religious education class. We had to write about it . I remember writing that it was ridiculous that those in hell would be so stupid they wouldn't know to feed each other .


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_ ... ong_spoons

I too heard that story from christian brothers as a kid. I thought the point of the fable was that total selfishness is its own stupidity and that people can often be the authors of their own misery.

It's one of the many concepts I've heard that the Heaven and Hell are virtually the same only the persons inside experience it differently due to their attitude. I remember hearing somewhere (I can't recall the source) of a vision where the hell fire that caused pain to the damned souls were the very same rays of grace that comforted the visionary.

I think it shouldn't be taken literally but there is some philosophical wisdom in it, about the same circumstances bringing comfort or suffering depending on the person's attitude.

The long spoons allegory is meant to encourage trust and generosity instead of greed and selfishness. In today's words, it could be seen as a cooperative positive sum game, with those in hell believing it's a zero sum game
(zero sum game - someone needs to lose so another can gain; positive sum game - everyone can gain without anyone losing)

Wait... if people are being forced to use inappropriate utensils, and being forced into interaction in order to not starve, how is that any form of Heaven?

This is a stupid story that makes no sense. If I wanted to use the utensils ( which I wouldn’t have to; hands are a thing that exist) all I’d have to do is move my hand further down the shaft, closer to the bowl of the spoon or the tines of the fork or what have you, and use it like a regular utensil with a vaguely annoying extra long handle that’s liable to hit my neighbour in the face. Move away and sit by yourself, or better yet, bend the shaft until it snaps at the right length (anyone who scoops ice cream using a table spoon knows how pliable they are) and problem solved. I wouldn’t want some stranger feeding me anyway, that’s hella weird.