What Good Will It Do?

There is a timeless parable about a man who cries out from the depths of hell, pleading for release. He is asked what good he has done in his life. All the man can remember is that, while walking in the woods one day, he saw a spider and did not kill it. Suddenly, a spider’s thin, silvery thread is let down to him in hell. Grabbing hold of it, he begins to be slowly lifted out of his misery. His fellow sufferers, seeing him about to escape, clutch his garment and his feet as all are lifted together. But the man, fearing the web might break, cries, “Let go! Let go!” And when they let go, the thread breaks and all fall back into hell. Although the thread was strong enough to lift all together, it could not bear the heavy burden of a selfish soul.

We live in a world where people are becoming increasingly cynical, bitter, and selfish — draining…