The Parable of the Long Chopsticks

​

Mosiah 2:17

A Story About Heaven, Hell, Selfishness, and Service

There is an old wisdom story often called The Parable of the Long Chopsticks.

It tells of a man who was given a chance to see the afterlife. He was first taken to a large room where a long table was filled with delicious food. The plates were overflowing. The smell was wonderful. Everything needed for a beautiful meal was already there.

But there was one strange problem.

Everyone seated around the table had chopsticks that were too long. They could reach the food, but they could not bring the food back to their own mouths. No matter how hard they tried, they could not feed themselves.

Because of this, the people became angry. They shouted. They cursed. They blamed one another. They fought over the food even though there was more than enough for everyone.

They were surrounded by abundance, yet they were starving.

The man looked at the room and said,
“This must be hell.”

Then he was taken to another room.

To his surprise, everything looked exactly the same. There was the same long table. The same delicious food. The same long chopsticks. The same situation. The same limitation.

But this time, nobody was hungry.

The people were smiling. They were laughing. They were peaceful. They were enjoying the meal together.

The man looked closer and finally understood why.

Instead of trying to feed themselves, they were using the long chopsticks to feed one another.

One person picked up food and placed it into the mouth of the person across the table. That person did the same for someone else. Everyone received because everyone gave.

The man then realized,
“This must be heaven.”

But the difference was not the table.
It was not the food.
It was not the chopsticks.
It was not even the problem.

The difference was the people.

In one room, selfishness turned abundance into misery.
In the other room, service turned limitation into joy.

And that is the powerful lesson of the parable.

Sometimes life gives us the same table, the same tools, the same challenges, and the same limitations. But the outcome depends on how we choose to live. When people only think of themselves, even blessings can become suffering. But when people learn to help, share, and serve, even difficult situations can become meaningful.

This story reminds us that heaven and hell may not only be places we go after life. Sometimes, we create them here and now by the way we treat each other.

A selfish heart can turn a full table into hunger.
A generous heart can turn a limitation into a miracle.

In families, workplaces, communities, and friendships, the same truth applies. We all have moments when we cannot do everything alone. We all face situations where our own hands cannot reach what we need. But when people learn to support one another, life becomes lighter.

The world becomes better when we stop asking only,
“How can I feed myself?”

And start asking,
“Who can I help feed today?”

Because service is not weakness.
Kindness is not loss.
Giving is not emptiness.

When we help others rise, we also rise.
When we serve others, we become better people.
When we feed others, we are also fed in ways the heart can understand.

The parable of the long chopsticks is simple, but its message is deep:

Selfishness turns blessings into misery.
Service turns limitations into joy.

Maybe heaven begins when we learn to feed each other.

HaveFunKeepFit | Coach Noel