Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) (Gen 13,10)

Old stories and fairy tales are often based on the principle that a person is guided through life according to how his heart is focused. The people of ancient times did not learn the world rationally in the first place - this approach began to be apparent first from the time of Greek philosophy, but it took another millennium and more before the age of reason, the Enlightenment, prevailed. In ancient times, however, unlike today, the wisdom of life was far more important than the scientific interpretation of the world. People were looking for the causes and consequences of their action - it had a direct impact on them, so they needed to understand it. A traditional proverbs were born, a wise old man, the most venerable man in the village, became a sought-after mentor, but he was not a kind of scientist, but rather a man with a broad life experience.

It is good to have this in mind when reading the Bible, because it was written in a similar surroundings and these (from today's point of view) unscientific truths compose its message - not a description of the process of galaxy formation or DNA analysis. At that time people really weren't looking for them and they wouldn't even be able to understand.

But we learn a lot, a lot, about the human heart in the Scriptures! Now that Abram and Lot had made their choices, it did not come like a bolt from the blue. Abram generously offered Lot the choice of where he would settle, and Lot grasp the opportunity to win ungenerously and inconsiderately.

Their attitudes, like ours, had been formed years before and were the outcome of a long process. As a result, Abram, who walked with God and learned to live so that he could dwell near him, was becoming a better man. Lot, who believed in the same God but never fully surrendered to him, was living a life similar to that of other people. His goal was not to glorify God, but to enjoy  life. Therefore, he chose an area where this would be easier to achieve. Abram thus remained in the mountain areas, where life was more difficult, while Lot descended into the fertile lowlands. Just as Eve "saw" the tree of knowledge with desirable eyes, Lot "saw" the beautiful, desirable land. And like her, he was blind to the fact that there was a big "but".

If we look at their choice as an allegory of spiritual attitudes, we will understand that Abram's heart, which sought and followed God, led him to the heights of life, while Lot's heart led him to the swamps of Sodom and Gomorrah.