Several years ago, I stayed in a castle used during Dante’s time. It was during that time two groups known as the Guelphs and Ghibilline fought each other. The whole nation of Italy was split along these lines.
In walking about the place, I wondered if Dante himself had ever visited the site. I felt a bit of a connection with him, especially after visiting his grave in Florence.
Dante is best known for his writings, which have influenced Western civilization for centuries. One of his better known books is “The Inferno” which includes details on the various levels of hell that he envisions.
In Dante’s version of hell, there’s a special level for adulterers. Although it’s at the highest level of hell, it’s still hell. He envisioned this locale as where adulterers spend their eternity.
As you deal with overcoming the affair, there are times that you share Dante’s vision of what happens to adulterers. His ideas shaped many people’s thinking on adultery for years.
You may at times want to deliver the cheater to that place personally. They put you through hell, so you want to return the favor.
At least Dante’s adulterers don’t argue with you over whether or not they actually cheated or intended to cheat. They knew they cheated and accepted the prescribed punishment.
In reconsidering Dante’s view of adultery, I found it ironic that he placed politicians taking bribes in even deeper levels of hell than adulterers. In modern political circles, we view politicians taking bribes as a minor issue, and see adultery as a more serious matter.
It tells me that values have a way of changing after several hundred years. Yes, adultery is still viewed as hell-worthy, yet modern thinkers have managed reversing other offensive behaviors, perhaps as a matter of political expediency.
Dante’s writing reminds me that over the years adultery is a pain that hits you at a deep level. It’s not something that fades with time. There’s also the desire of seeing adulterers punished. Somehow punishing them brings closure.
What I still wonder about is whether their punishment is about them having done wrong or if it is to ‘even the score’ for the person who was cheated on.
You may also wonder if there are special levels of ‘hell’ for some of the outrageous extremes that some cheaters and lovers go to. Dante never addressed those concerns. If he were here now, I suspect that he’d find himself adding additional levels of suffering in his writings for what people do these days.
If you find yourself continuing in a living hell, it could be that you are experiencing ‘Affair Trauma’. If that’s the case, the video, “Overcoming Affair Trauma” guides you through those tough times. It also shows you ways of getting unstuck from that place.
Best Regards,
Jeff Murrah
2 Responses
Hahaa…..As a frequent MOVER I would often jest saying we were in the 9th ring of Dante’s Inferno …since moving so often was a bit hellish….but in truth it is no laughing matter to be cheated on. Cheating usually involves breaking all of the ten commandments and those who dive into it don’t think about it that way but as one who has had to deal with the consequences not only to my own life but observing the pain in our children’s lives…all of whom are adults but have to look back over the years where their father was “absent due to work’ it has a retroactive way of hurting.
Bet Dante had some pretty good ideas for how those who flagrantly harm others would spend eternity.
Still Jesus Christ offers forgiveness and cleansing for those willing to repent….pray they do …whatever is the worst that man can imagine cannot match the kind of existence being apart from our Loving Father would be!
Zaza,
Dante definitely showed some insights into human behavior of his times. I often find old writings helpful in seeing what is really important and lasts the tests of time. Living in the modern times often has many traps and distractions that take our attention away from what really matters, along with recognizing what is good and what is evil. The writer Flannery O’Conner had some insights on this. When asked about some of the dark aspects in her writing, she commented that “In the South, we recognize evil when see it”. Her comments have echoed in my head. Many in modern society do not or no longer recognize evil when they see it.