Proverbs of Hell 6

This is the sixth entry of my series on William Blake’s “Proverbs of Hell” from his Marriage of Heaven and Hell. See here for background on these posts. The editing program I used for these posts is acting wonky today so bear with me

A dead body, revenges not injuries.

Like most of these, there’s the practical advice within the proverb: if they’re dead they can’t come back later. However, the real advice is that killing somebody does not undo an ounce of the injury that they caused. That, in turn, works both ways, as an unnecessary death hurts the entire community by removing the resources and agency that one person could provide and injuring their personal community as surely as if they didn’t deserve it at all. The mere act of killing somebody as revenge doesn’t fix the underlying injury and we should be willing as a community to help with those steps, either through restitution or care. If someone is widowed by an assault, they shouldn’t be forced into poverty because of the rising cost of burial arrangements and loss of income. It’s morally disgusting to lop off the assailant’s head and call the day done.

The most sublime act is to set another before you.

See also: The Bible, The Qran, etc. etc. Ever since the first human took up a sick one’s burdens, we appreciate it as a near holy act. Even if it’s just giving up a seat or helping load a car, choosing someone else’s needs over your own impulses is often the best thing you can do. It’s called the golden rule for a reason, though I do appreciate the more somber tone of this parable.

Sublime is a word that has moved a lot in the last three centuries, but at this time it meant a sense of overwhelming beauty and terror, usually at nature. When you see old paintings of storms and dramatic cliffs and sunlight beaming through clouds onto golden fields in the distance, that is the emotion they are trying to inspire. That feeling of suddenly realizing just how deep the Grand Canyon is as you stand on the ledge. Then the fairly ambiguous “set another before you” which does not ask anything of the other, not even permission, and it does not define what putting someone before you is, it could be a ticket line, it could be an organ donation. It is an act of terror and beauty to set aside your own interests for another’s.

If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.

I like this one a lot, because I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know another person with the most baffling motivations possible who just keeps on living. Being foolish for long enough can make someone wise in a very specific way, and stubbornly sticking to a point is how a lot of really important stuff was discovered or created. However, there is also the version of this proverb where a fool persists in his folly, receives the consequences for it, and that makes them enlightened. Either way, let a fool continue to fool, and eventually they will either be shown to be right or learn their lesson.

It’s a beautiful day, but it’s still cold, remember to dig out your sunglasses and wear a hat.

Music: