A Divine Comedy

December 9, 2023

Apparently I’m a bohemian weirdo.

I have a degree in English literature, and it seems that humanities departments and degrees are a vanishing breed at colleges and universities across the United States. Young people today are understandably wanting to get more practical education in technology and science, but in their pursuit of bigger paychecks they have less and less time and/or interest in subjects such as history, philosophy, sociology, art, and literature.

“We should hail the return of the arts and humanities to bohemian weirdos. [Those subjects] began as something for which there were no career opportunities or money to be made, and thence [they] will return.” So said Drew Lichtenberg, theater critic, quoted recently in the New York Times.

I can vouch for the accuracy of the notion that there is little money to be made from an English degree. I rarely used that degree professionally, and this month I’m retiring from my social science research job. As a Field Interviewer for the past 30 years, I never made much money, though I enjoyed the flexible hours, freedom to travel at will, and opportunity to use my Spanish language skills. My reading and writing skills have long been useful, but not compensated.

Yet in the view of New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, now more than ever we need the wisdom and perspective of great writers such as William Shakespeare to help us understand the dangers of the lusts for power, fame, and money. And we need students and citizens alike to reflect on the lessons offered by historians and philosophers, in order to cope with the global rise of authoritarianism and current threats from social media and the potential menace of artificial intelligence.

Perhaps as an antidote to American political dysfunction, climate change, global wars, ad nauseum, I like to read literary classics that give me some insight into human nature and the nature of reality. The book I’m currently reading, Dante’s The Divine Comedy, has little or no humor – in the 14th century Italian of his time, “commedia” meant a story with a happy ending. In this long poem, Dante takes a journey to Hell, then Purgatory, and finally to Heaven – the happy ending. As Dante was a devout Catholic, I was amused that in his visit to Hell he found several popes, along with Mohammed. I don’t think he was trying to be funny.

Although I’m no longer a Catholic, I do share his belief or hope that the ultimate solution to human ignorance and suffering will be a spiritual one, whether it be through a belief in God or an awakening to some form of cosmic consciousness. Humanity needs a divine comedy, a happy ending.

For now I look forward to my imminent retirement, and my new calling as a full time bohemian weirdo. There may be zero pay in this offbeat vocation, but the benefits should be excellent.