Trying to remain productive, I have used some of the involuntary free time that I have been given to do a little more reading. Because the text is so often mentioned in religious and other historical media that I consume, I decided to pick up a copy of Dante’s Inferno. The following is some optimism gathered from below. You can also listen to what I have to say about the Inferno by checking out Optimism is Essential Episode 003 – Optimism Gathered from Below.
“Abandon all hope ye who enter here..”
This is how I felt about most English and reading assignments in school, and I would’ve just as much preferred to join Dante on his trip through hell than to read about it. It is also what was posted at the entrance to Hell. Anyway, I’m not in school anymore and much like the rejection of God that leads to an eternal stay in one of the nine circles, my decision to read this was voluntary and ill-advised.
The old-timey English that the translation was written in was ultimately too hard for me to comprehend. Just as Dante relied on Virgil to guide him on his journey, I relied on a well-written Wikipedia page to guide me through the Inferno. Once the text was brought down to my level of comprehension, I was able to come away with some rather valuable insights.
The pen long outlives the sword
I don’t know who first used the expression that “the pen is mightier than the sword” (my American education causes me to attribute all prominent quotes to Abraham Lincoln; however I think it really was Mark Twain), but the insight I gained from reading the Inferno really drives at this being true. There are many prominent people from Dante’s time that he places in the different circles of Hell, and the authors of the translation do not know who a lot of them are. I find this to be rather inspiring.
These figures that Dante, felt important enough to condemn to eternal damnation are actually irrelevant from a historical perspective. Even some of the characters that the English authors are able to identify were really only known in 13th and 14th century Italy. I am willing to wager that most modern-day Italians do not know who most of them are. Yet, most people have heard of The Divine Comedy. Dante, the poet, outlasted all of the politicians and socialites that he complained about by over 700 years.
This is encouraging to me when I think about all modern-day, so-called, prominent figures. All of the bloviating about their own importance, the mandates forced on the citizens, the corruption and wickedness can all be overshadowed by a poem. All of these structures are held fast by the sword (by force), yet the artist long outlives their meaningless power.
Free-will
Another encouraging concept is that the residents of Hell chose their own fate. This was a concept that, until I read Dante, I thought was part of contemporary theology. I was wrong.
While boarding the boat to cross the river Styx with Virgil, Dante is told by the boat operator that no one has to be forced to ride. The souls that are condemned to Hell are in a state of acceptance, as they freely chose to reject God. God does not simply send people to Hell as much as they reject Him.
Saving the Philosopher
I was rather enthralled with the concept of the first circle of Hell, also referred to as Limbo. Although this is not an accepted doctrine of the church, I sympathize with Dante’s use of a place for people who live moral lives but were not given the opportunity to accept salvation through Christianity. Along with Dante, I have a hard time believing that the great philosophers, mainly Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, would be condemned to eternal suffering. Especially since a lot of their philosophy is used in Church teaching and helped with the Church’s creation of the university system. They have contributed to a substantial amount of human progress and their condemnation seems unjust, to say the least.
Popes in Hell
Although the idea of anyone going to Hell is unpleasant, I appreciate Dante’s placement of several Popes among the different circles. This further goes against the stereotypes of the church consisting of blind followers who are incapable of thinking for themselves. It is encouraging to see that corruption was recognized and pointed out.
It is worth noting that The Divine Comedy was written about 200 years prior to the revolt lead by Luther and others, who attempted to point out this corruption as endemic to the church. The fact that a layperson, who maintained his devotion, pointed these problems out is contrary to a lot of points that were hammered to the church, so to speak, by the revolutionaries.
Was This Really Essential?
Hopefully, there is some encouragement to be found in these words, especially during these rather confusing times. A lot of us have much more free time, which has more or less been forced on us by arbitrary authority. It is important to remember that freedom is ultimately a gift from God. The memory of those who attempt to restrict it will be buried by the sands of time.
Dante achieved success without asserting his will on anyone, and his writing has stood the test of time. Meanwhile, the politicians of his day are only a brief, and hard to understand, passage in one of his circles of Hell. Times are much better now, and hopefully, that will make authoritarians even easier to forget.
What matters most is that we all embrace our individuality and do our best to improve with the time we have. Whether this means learning more by reading random books you are drawn to, building a skill, or doing anything else productive, remember that you were put here for a reason and that makes you essential.