God helps those who help themselves

"God helps those who help themselves." - Benjamin Franklin

Did you know that's where that quote comes from? I didn't. But it sprang to mind this morning while I was catching up on the past season of Boardwalk Empire. During the last episode of the second season, a preacher shares a parable that goes something like this:

A man is given a chance to see both heaven and hell. He asks to see hell first. He enters hell and sees many people sitting around a large banquet table with a feast of food in front of them. However, all of the people are still hungry. Each person is holding a spoon with a handle so long that they cannot feed themselves. 

The man enters heaven next. He sees just as many people sitting around a large banquet table with a feast of food in front of them. Each person is holding the same type of spoon as the people in hell. However, nobody is hungry, because they are using the spoons to feed each other. 

So this leaves me wondering, was Benjamin Franklin right? Or, was the message that God helps those who help each other? Something to ponder in light of this recent news in the Huffington Post.