You in others — this is your soul. — Boris Pasternak
In Dante’s Inferno, the observation that “we are one in hell as we are above” rings true, with help from translator John Ciardi’s note: In the Inferno, “the souls of the damned are locked so blindly into their own guilt that no one can feel sympathy for another, or find any pleasure in the presence of another.” I can’t avoid relating this to the effect that partisan politics has, especially when the apparent poles of communities are emphasized or exploited, on social relations. It’s not guilt today, but outrage, rage, obstinacy that ensnares us.s.