The doomed blank banner

In Canto 3, pg 25, lines 31 - 42, it says, "Said I -- a blind of horror held my brain -- 'My Teacher, what are all these cries I hear? Who are these people conquered by their pain?' And he to me: 'This state of misery is clutched by those sad souls whose works in life merited neither praise nor infamy. Here they're thrown in among that petty choir of angels who were for themselves alone, not rebels, and not faithful to the lord. Heaven drives them out -- to keep its beauty pure, nor will the deep abyss receive their souls, lest they bring glory to the wicked there.'"

And lines 52 - 69: "And I, beholding, saw a banner fly, whirling around about and racing with such speed it seemed that is would scorn to stand, or pause, and all behind that flag in a long file ran, I had not thought death had unmade so many. When I recognized a few of these, I saw and knew the craven one, who made the great denial. Immediately, I understood the truth: this was the low sect of those paltry souls hateful to God and to his enemies. These worthless wretches who had never lived were pricked into motion now perpetually by flies and wasps that stung their naked limbs and ran the blood in furrows down their faces, which, mingled with their tears fell to their feet, where loathsome maggots gathered up the rot."

So we find those who did not chose either good or evil. As a result, they are condemned to forever chase after a blank banner with wasps following and stinging them. Heaven refuses them, because they did not chose good, and hell refuses them, because they did no wrong.

These undecided and cursed souls and angels are chasing a blank banner because they did not chose a side in life, so they now follow no one, supporting a non-existent cause, with a non-existent leader. Because they refused to make a decision and move in life, they now are forced into action by the eternal stinging of wasps. The wounds created by the never-ceasing stinging bleed and mingle with their tears, falling to the ground as maggots feed on it. This blood, which could have been used in life to support good, is now wasted on the nourishment of maggots, just as their lives were wasted on earth.

If such a place really exists, unfortunately, many people from our day and age would be condemned there. Much of our society is agnostic. Many proclaim themselves Christian but do not attend church. some are too afraid to proclaim their faith in public. If these do not change the courses of their lives, then they too will be condemned to chase the blank banner of Canto 3.

~Hannah