Other Good Stuff

The Fable of the Long Spoons:

There is an ancient Eastern (note, not Western) fable about a man who was given permission to see both heaven and hell while he was alive. He first chose to see hell. He found, to his surprise, an enormous gathering of people at a feast. Each was seated at a long table, covered with every imaginable delicacy. Nevertheless, the people were crying and wailing loudly, and they all appeared to be starving to death. As the man looked over this scene, he saw that the handles of the eating utensils were so long that the people at the table could not bring the food to their mouths.

Space With a heavy heart, the man left hell to visit heaven, where he found an almost identical scene: a table laden with food and utensils with long handles. But these people were laughing and rejoicing. Rather than trying to feed only themselves, the people in heaven were feeding each other.

On their way to a justice of the peace to get married, a couple has a fatal car accident. The couple is sitting outside heaven's gate waiting on St. Peter to do the paperwork so they can enter. While waiting, they wonder if they could possibly get married in Heaven. St. Peter finally shows up and they ask him. St. Peter says, "I don't know, this is the first time anyone has ever asked. Let me go find out," and he leaves.

The couple sit for a couple of months and begin to wonder if they really should get married in Heaven, what with the eternal aspect of it all. "What if it doesn't work out?" they wonder, "Are we stuck together forever?"

St. Peter returns after yet another month, looking somewhat bedraggled. "Yes," he informs the couple, "you can get married in Heaven." "Great," says the couple, "but what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?"

St. Peter, red-faced, slams his clipboard onto the ground. "What's wrong?" exclaims the frightened couple. "Geez!" St. Peter exclaims, "It took me three months to find a priest up here! Do you have any idea how long it's going to take for me to find a lawyer?"

SURFING THE WEB

Some of my favorite web pages, and why:

The Calvert Group is the oldest family of socially screened funds, started by long-time friend Wayne Silby. We sat in the middle of our living rug when he was planning the funds.
Former Boston College Sociology graduate student James McRitchie has been doing exceptional work on issues of Corporate Governance.
Democracy Works is an online guide to the work of individuals and organizations promoting greater understanding and tolerance and a heightened awareness of threats to freedom of expression and civil liberties.
Everyone in our family (my wife and I, son, daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren) is a cat lover. That's one reason I like the Furball The Great web page. This page also has good links to web sites that have "exceptional content and promote a just and sustainable planet."
On the Oregon Jesuits' pages is a set of Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility, drafted by three interfaith groups from Canada, the UK, and the US in response to the growth of transnational corporations.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation features the Blueribbon Campaign Blue Ribbon GIF

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