Cover of Inferno: The Longfellow Translation

Willful Ignorance

    It was as if I had woken from a dream.  As far as I knew, I had reached another level of Hell.  You could hear the sighs and grumbles all around.   I began to ponder why everyone seemed so bored, irritated. 
    “Stop thinking so hard, you have a horrid look on your face when you do that.  Don‘t you remember what happened the last time you thought too hard?” Said a voice.  As I turned to look I remembered I had a guide for this fiery world, none other than Friedrich Nietzsche.
    “You look like you don’t know what you’re looking at, but that should be expected,” said Nietzsche.  As he spoke, his German accent was profuse and obvious.
    “This is the level in which those who are willfully ignorant are sent.  They cause problems for others that try to help, ignore their advice, and refuse to believe what is truly right regardless of evidence and proof,” Nietzsche smirked obviously enjoying himself. 
    All around you could see people strapped and chained to desks, reminiscent of one you would see at school.  Their eye lids were removed, eyes forced to look forward at what looked like an enormous movie screen.  Information was being shown incredibly quickly, but just slow enough you could understand what was happening. 
    “Again, you look confused.  They are required to look at the screen, their minds forced to absorb every ounce of information until they can learn no more.  At the end of the day, these ignorant fools are made to forget what they have learned just to learn it all over again.  The worst part is knowing they had forgotten everything.  Ignorance is impossible here, not even willful ignorance.  You know everything, yet you know nothing,” explained Nietzsche.
     We continued forward until I had noticed someone who looked very familiar with his comb over hair and square mustache, it was Adolf Hitler.  As our journey progressed I noticed several other familiar faces from various political parties as well as many rulers of countries in the past.
    “I have experienced this willful ignorance from others many a time in my life, so often it has led me to believe there is no good in the world.  Quite honestly I’m surprised willful ignorance isn’t a crime.  However, if it was, many people would be jailed.  Then again maybe the world would be a better place,” I mumbled to myself, “I have no sympathy for these people.” I became so lost pondering their ignorance, I was thinking far too hard, I blacked out.