The Divine Comedy: Week 21, Humility

In Canto I, before the Pilgrim begins to climb Mount Purgatory, he must wash his face and gird himself with a reed. Virgil gives directions to get the Pilgrim prepared for the climb:

Go with this man, see that you gird his waist
with a smooth reed; take care to bathe his face
till every trace of filth has disappeared,

for it would not be fitting that he go
with vision clouded by the mists of Hell,
to face the first of Heaven's ministers.

What does the reed symbolize? Mark Musa says the following:

The reed will now replace the cord that the Pilgrim wore fastened round his waist while going through the Inferno. In order to ascend the Mount of Purgatory, he must be girded with a reed, clearly symbolising humility, the opposite of his former self-confidence.

We talked about the cord of pride in Week 13. That pride is now replaced with humility. And girded with humility the Pilgrim is now ready to climb, now ready to face his sins.

This is, I think, hugely insightful.

Psychologists talk about "stages of change." The first two stages of change are precontemplation and contemplation. In the state of precontemplation you're not even thinking about making a change. That's why it's called precontemplation, change hasn't even crossed your mind, you've never even thought about, considered, or contemplated changing. Denial is a huge part of being in the stage of precontemplation.

So the first part of changing is getting you to move from precontemplation to contemplation, getting you to at least think about changing, admitting that you might have an problem.

As you might imagine, in many ways this first step in changing, moving from precontemplation to contemplation, is the hardest. Denial--I don't need to change! I don't have a problem!--is a tough nut to crack. So what's the key?

I think Dante has the answer here. The issue turns on pride and humility. Some humbling is required for us to face the truth about ourselves, along with being willing to submit to a season of penitence and renunciation. As the recovery community knows, Step 1 is admitting that you have a problem.

And that admission is, more than anything, a profound act of humility. You have to put on the reed before you're willing to face your sin.