Canto IV
Repentance KIV
Scene I
“There is a path seen
ahead.” Virgil heard the others in the group call out. It was indeed a path
that led to the top or maybe not as the peak was not seen. However, it created
a rush than when the group moved to mount the steps. No one wanted to be left
out and regardless of their physical conditions, they rushed to the steps. The
path opening was narrow and the ledge they were on was narrower. They stepped
in line and moved their way leaning back on the wall of the structure to secure
their ascent. During the ascent, some were in the rush, pushed their way ahead
without consideration for the ones before them.
“Don’t push!’ Dante
called out when he had to assist one who had fallen but his assistance was
pushed aside, while the one he assisted moved to mount the stairs once more.
“I have to get there.”
That was the reinforcing attitude of the one who fell and then resumed the
climb. It was chaos but soon everyone was mounting the path.
Dante took the ascent
between Cato and Virgil but he doubted if he ever needs to hold them in case of
any slip-up, it will be worthless for they are intangible to be held on.
“Why do they fall?”
Dante asked Cato when he saw one fall off the path to resume again. “They are
intangible --- without any corporeal form.”
“It’s not the physical
form but the soul still retains its hold on the physical platform. When the
soul feels the vibration of being pushed, it will react by holding on or losing
its balance. They may not get hurt and resumed their climb.”
“The path will be there
regardless of when you climb and what pace?”
“Is it? Dante, please
focus on the task. How long have we walked and not noticed any paths to go up,
or even back to the structure, and then it appeared for them? Was it
coincidental or probability that defiles logic? Or perhaps the path was planned
and it was scheduled to appear there now?”
“What it was, these
souls have walked for days and nights without any sense of getting up, and an
instant they found one. Do you think they will hesitate? Would you?” Cato
smiled.
“You saw earlier some of
them were looking at the walls. Perhaps they were shown other paths but failed
to mount it? This is not Purgatory as you were read. It may be the
manifestation of the Prison. After all, the prison was designed to challenge or
rather despair your hopes in the mind.”
“How much further do I
need to climb?” Dante asked. He was feeling tired from the walk.
“Silence, Poet. I
thought you better at this after we through Hell.” It was Virgil who warned
Dante. “We need to get to the next level and then get more directions. Have you
not learned that from Hell?”
“Prevail, Poet. You can
overcome the challenge here.” Cato encouraged Dante.
“Fair for you to say for
you are a construct and so is ---Virgil. I am a soul now with a physical frame,
and exhaustion exists inside me.” Dante moaned his weakness.
“Perhaps you need to get
your soul off your physical constraints.” Cato voiced out with steps that Dante
took to follow. “If I may intrigue you on something intellectual. Let us talk about
the theory of soul by Plato who drew on the words of Socrates in his writing in
the Republic.”
The theory of Soul was
also known as the Phaedo or the On Justice as an alternative title. Plato however, conceives of justice as the
excellent state of the soul, and so it is not surprising that the Republic sheds
a great deal of light on Plato's conception of the soul. One way in which it
does so is by explicitly integrating several central features of the ordinary
notion of soul, features which, in the Phaedo, coexist somewhat
uneasily (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-soul/#3.2).
“The responsibility for
the life of an organism (that is, in the human case, responsibility for its
being and remaining alive as a human being), for cognitive and (especially)
intellectual functions, and moral virtues such as courage and justice.” Cato recited
the findings of Plato then.
“The ---“, Cato was cut
off by Dante.
“Plato's theory of soul,
drawing on the words of his teacher Socrates, considered
the psyche (ψυχή) to be the essence of a person, being that
which decides how people behave. He considered this essence to be an
incorporeal, eternal occupant of our being. Plato said that even after death,
the soul exists and can think. He believed that as bodies die, the soul is
continually reborn (metempsychosis) in subsequent bodies.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_theory_of_soul.
“I know we read the same books.”
Dante beamed up to Cato’s conversation. “The Platonic soul consists of three parts
which are located in different regions of the body; the logos,
or logistikon, located in the head, is related to reason and
regulates the other partsm the thymos or thumoeides,
located near the chest region and is related to anger and the eros,
or epithumetikon, located in the stomach and is related to one's
desires.”
“And why are we doing elementary philosophy now while
we are cold and attempting to climb?” It was Virgil who was agitated for they
were left behind by the group ahead, and more to it, Virgil was climbing on
loose snow.
“You won’t fall, Virgil,” Cato assured the other.
“You could fly ahead for you are a construct and not restraint by any
programs.”
“Bloody good it will do me now.” Virgil cursed out
and recalled his task to stay close to Dante.
“Dante, the Book explained; that the same thing will
never do or undergo opposite things in the same part of it and towards the same
thing at the same time; so, if we find this happening, we shall know it was not
one thing but more than one.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_theory_of_soul.)
“Hence, given each
person has only one soul, it should be impossible for a person to
simultaneously desire something yet also at that very moment be averse to the
same thing, as when one is tempted to commit a crime but also averse to it.”
Dante continued.
“In theory, it should not be
possible for the soul to at the same time both be in one state and its
opposite. From this, it follows that there must be at least two aspects to the soul.”
Cato continued from there and was interrupted by Virgil then.
“Dante, there is a ledge there. We
can rest.” Virgil called out. “Well, it looked a ledge although whoever said
there will be any on a structure like this. Okay, let’s call it a plane.”
The trio moved to the extended plane
there and rested.
“Why did we speak of souls just
now?”
“We are in Purgatory and it’s the
next best place to discuss how to cleanse your soul? Or souls, I guess.” Virgil
cut in but Dante was still intrigued by the subject matter.
“For discussion, if a person had
several souls, he would still notice the passage of time, no matter how spellbound he might be by something else because not all
of his souls are concentrating on the same thing at one time.” Dante then
motioned to the sun seen there from the plane. “Do you realize that we had
climbed very high? The sun is to be near the zenith but now it resides lower?”
“A simple correction I can
contribute. We are in Purgatory hence we are below as in downwards or in the
astronomy view, we are at the Southern Hemisphere. You were used to seeing the
Sun from the Northern Hemisphere.” Virgil was ever enlightening.
“It did not occur to me. We did not
see the Sun in Hell.” Dante voiced out. “I meant the program did not display
any Sun there. I am no astronomer but I have studied the concept of the Sun and
its movement. In the Southern Hemisphere, the south is to the left. The
Sun rises in the east culminates in the north while moving to the left, and
sets in the west. Both rise and set positions are displaced towards the south
in midsummer and the north in midwinter.”
“We living
humans share both space and time with the dead souls of Purgatory. Spatially,
living humans dwell in the land-filled northern hemisphere of the globe that we
share with Purgatory. The mountain of Purgatory is located in the iced southern
hemisphere; cold like Hell. So was the air we breathe on earth is the same air
that the souls of Purgatory no longer need to breathe.” (Adapted from https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/purgatorio/purgatorio-2/).
“Poet”, Virgil took on his sarcastic appearance and looked at
Dante. “Stay to poems please, will you?”
“Alright, tell me my learned ---companion. How far are we to
the next level?” Dante asked with scorn on his expression.
“I don’t know. The climb from the
base is the most difficult and it gets better as we reach the top. It may be as
easy in climbing as sailing in the sea current.” Virgil replied. “Climbing
ain’t my pastime.”
“Perchance before then thou wilt be
constrained to sit.” The trio heard the calling and turned to look at what may
appear to be an extension of the plane unnoticed before. They stepped over and
saw several persons or souls there basking in the sunlight. The amusing part of
the group as they were devoid of their clothing but the manacles remained on at
their legs; a rather awkward sight for the overall was drawn down to there. It
saved on the embarrassment for all that was there were males.
“Indulgence unseen in the cold
winter. Don’t they feel the coldness here?” Dante asked.
“Perhaps not to some.” Cato motioned
to one who was huddled there with his head between his knees.
“Oh, sweet Lord” Virgil invoked the
Lord’s name on his lips. “Look at him, who shows himself more indolent than if
sloth were his sister.”
“Virgil, hold your voice if any. The
---” Dante cautioned the other but one of those who were there looked up and
shouted towards them.
“Now go thou up, for thou art
valiant.” The figure roared out. “We care not for endless of us tried and found
nothing there. We bask here in the sun looking for warmth although the cold had
hardly any effect on us.”
Dante beamed upon seeing the soul
there.
“Belacqua, you old
Florence survival.”
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