FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Once upon a time, in a tiny hut, there lived a little old man, whose name was Mr. Stone. He was a very poor man and, because of this, he had to work many long hours, hunched over his work-bench. Although everyone knew Mr. Stone as a simple shoemaker, he was, in fact, a deep thinker-----a philosopher. As he sat, night after night, mending shoes by the light of a dim candle, his mind wandered into far-away places. He pondered the mysteries of the world in general and of people in particular. In a word, he wondered what made people "tick." HOW DID PEOPLE GET ALONG WITH ONE ANOTHER. HOW SHOULD PEOPLE GET ALONG WITH ONE ANOTHER.....

One dark, moonless night, Mr. Stone was deeply engrossed in his work when he heard a knock at the door. He couldn't imagine who would be calling upon him at this late hour; nevertheless, he set aside his work and labored his way to the door. When he opened it, he saw a man whom he had never seen before, and he knew instinctively that he would never see him again. Mr. Stone invited the man into his hut and offered him the only chair he possessed. When they started talking, Mr. Stone realized that this was no ordinary man. This mysterious visitor knew everything about Mr. Stone; he even knew something nobody else knew---that Mr. Stone was a thinker. The man invited Mr. Stone to join him on an exciting journey. He told Mr. Stone that he would see interesting things during his trip, and that he would learn a great deal from it. Mr. Stone was very curious. He decided to join the man and see for himself what this was all about. He locked up his hut, and away they went.

It was still dark when, from afar, they saw a towering castle. As they approached it, Mr. Stone saw how magnificent it was. The marble pillars were beautifully engraved; they were decorated with gold and silver trimmings. The precious stones, which were embedded in the castle's walls, shone so brilliantly, they practically lit up the night.

The two men entered the castle. They walked through a long and narrow passageway until they reached a big, closed door. Mr. Stone looked at the man expectantly; the man opened the door and led Mr. Stone in. The room was huge. There was a large table in the center, with all kinds of tasty food set on it. It looked like a feast had been prepared for the many people who sat at the table. Mr. Stone noticed, however, that all the people sitting in the room were thin and emaciated; they looked like they hadn't eaten for days. If they were so starved, he thought, why don't they eat? He also wondered why they looked so glum and didn't even talk to each other. Then he looked at them a little closer. Their arms were unusually long; strangely, they were also unable to bend their arms at their elbows. As a result, they were able to spoon the food out of their platters, but they could not bring it to their mouths. This, thought Mr. Stone, was frightfully sad.

The man then showed Mr. Stone into another room which was strikingly similar to the one they had just left. There was, however, a difference----the people in this room were joyous and friendly, and were happily partaking of the delicious food which was before them. They too. Mr. Stone observed, had long and unbending arms. Despite this handicap, they ate. As Mr. Stone watched, he saw each person dish the food out of his plate and feed his neighbor with it. Nobody in the room was able to bend an arm; yet, they were all able to eat.

The man led Mr. Stone out of the room and out of the castle. They looked at each other for a brief moment, and then the man disappeared. Mr. Stone walked homeward----back to his hut, his work-bench, and deeper thoughts.

C'mon people now,

Smile on your brother

Ev'rybody get together

Try and love one another right now...........

~~~~~~~~~So, whaddayasay guys? Although we all kid around and fight things out, it's all in good humor, isn't it?