One of the most penetrating insights into sin comes from Dante’s Divine Comedy. It can be found in the “Purgatory” portion, where Dante portrays himself climbing the mountain out of purgatory accompanied by the Roman poet Virgil. Slowly moving up the mountain, he is purged in turn by each of the seven deadly sins. Virgil makes the observation that love is the basic driving force of all virtue, and at the root of all sin is love-gone-wrong. Love is the highest good, but when it is diverted from a true aim and perverted into a false form, it becomes sin.
“Between 1305 and the early 1800’s. the House of Taxis ran a form of pony express service all over Europe…. Its couriers clad in blue and silver uniforms, crisscrossed the continent carrying messages between princes and generals, merchants and money lenders.” –Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave We may think we are the first generation consumed by rapid communication but we are not. Throughout our history it has been a priority. Of course, now in the 21 st century we must ask: are we better or worse for it?
Comments