The Loneliness of Men

sickly people, all climbing over one an other in a dense tangle of naked bodies” 89 – the picture makes Sinskey feels uneasy. Zobrist uses a painting from Dore to show the horror of Dante’s inferno to her. Those two events show that Zobrist is a man who devotes his life to Dante’s work. His ideology is energized by his fanaticism. He hates the world as Dante hates it. He loves hell as Dante embraces it. Zobrist is Dante’s child. Zobrist considers himself as a true admirer of the master. Dante teaches Zobrist about desperation. Therefore, Zobrist believes that this world has no value for he wants to create a new world. Furthermore, Dante believes that the cruelest man is a man with no side. Dante’s Inferno exposes Dante’s rage and anger towards his political enemy. In canto II, after Dante and Virgil pass the Hell Gate, Dante hears cries from men who suffer because of their selfishness, they are the opportunist. They live neither for good nor evil. They only think about themselves. Therefore, those are men are the group that has no place, even in hell. Dante writes: What souls are these who run through this black haze? And He to me: “these are the nearly soulless whose lives concluded neither blame nor praise. They are mixed here with that despicable corps of angels were neither for God nor Satan, but only for themselves. The high Creator scourged them from Heaven for its perfect beauty, and Hell will not receive them since the wicked might feel some glory over them”. And I 89 D. Brown, Inferno, 79 “Master what gnaws at them so hideously their lamentation stuns the very ai r?” “They have no hope of death” he answered me, “and their blind and unattaining state their miserable lives have sunk so low that they must envy every other fate. No word of them survives their living season. Mercy and justice deny them even a name. Let us not speak of them: look and pass on 90 . From that passage, God is there. His existence is the depiction of Dante desires. He wants God to reprimand men who exiled him from Florence. His longing for justice is expressed by this poem, but more importantly, his desperation and anger towards the world are the elements that become the energy of his words. Furthermore, the excerpt shows Dante ’s hatred towards men who chose no side. He states that the men who will suffer the most in hell are they who do not make a decision and only think about themselves. Related to Dante’s political experience, Florence is full of those types of men. Perhaps those lines are his expressions towards that kind of men. A man with no side is a man that he hates the most. Aside fr om Dante’s own experience, some people also consider those men are worse than the one who does the crime. Take for example in the case of domestic abuse. There are three people that involve in the event; the victim, the criminal and the bystander. In such case, the bystander is worse than the criminal . Dante’s hatred towards those men is reasonable. Their attitudes do not exhibit any sign of moral conduct. Since Zobrist is highly devoted to Dante, he also hates such person. His hatred is depicted in his conversation with Sinskey. He says that: 90 J. Ciardi, The Inferno; Dante’s Immortal Drama of a Journey Through Hell, 42-43 “I was at your presentation this morning,” declared the silhouette. “I came a long distance to hear you speak. An impressive performance.” “Thank you,” she replied. “Might I also say you are much more beautiful than I imagined … despite your age and your myopic view of world health.” Elizabeth felt her jaw drop. The comment was offensive in all kinds of ways. “Excuse me?” she demanded, peering into the darkness. “Who are you? And why have you called me here?” 91 Zobrist thinks that Sinsky is a person with narrow-minded perspective. It is one of the highest derisions in the scientific field. His expression is the picture of his hatred towards a person that refuses to choose. Zobrist dissatisfies by Synkey s’ response. He accuses her as a person who avoids her duty. She is the one that has the responsibility to save the world. Hence she denies the fact that his effort is nothing. She refuses to accept the fact that Zobrist’s explanation is logically correct and Zobrist’s proposal is reasonable. Therefore Zobrist hates her. Furthermore, Zobrist thinks that even if she is taking a side, she chooses the wrong side. Zobrist exhibits a table that shows a rapid increase of human population in exceedingly short time. He states that: “Did you know that if you live another nineteen years, until the age of eighty, you will witness the population triple in your lifetime. One lifetime —a tripling. Think of the implications. As you know, your World Health Organization has again increased its forecasts, predicting there will be some nine billion people on earth before the midpoint of this century. Animal species are going extinct at a precipitously accelerated rate. The demand for dwindling natural resources is skyrocketing. Clean water is harder and harder to come by. By any biological gauge, our species has exceeded our sustainable numbers. And in the face of this disaster, the World Health Organization —the gatekeeper of the planet’s health —is investing in things like curing diabetes, filling blood banks, 91 D. Brown, Inferno, 79 battling cancer.” He paused, staring directly at her. “And so I brought you here to ask you directly why the hell the World Health Organization does not have the guts to deal with this issue head- on?” 92 In Zobrist point of view, the only problem that human race needs to prioritize regarding the survivor of mankind is the population problem. Zobrist tries to persuade WHO to be his partner by showing the evidence of the danger of human population. He, then, explains that the only way to save mankind is to take a great measure to stop the growth of the population. He does not say anything to Sinskey about a virus that he is currently modified. Moreover, the statement that is given by Zobrist at the meeting shows that he will not change his mind at any cause. He shows Sinsky that human population will reach its peak in ten to twenty years from now and when the time comes, there will be no way to salvage mankind. On his video that he sent to The Consortium, Zobrist says that: These are the new Dark Ages. Centuries ago, Europe was in the depths of its own misery —the population huddled, starving, mired in sin and hopelessness. They were as a congested forest, suffocated by deadwood, awaiting God’s lightning strike —the spark that would finally ignite the fire that would rage across the land and clear the deadwood, once again bringing sunshine to the healthy roots. Culling is God’s Natural Order. Ask yourself, What followed the Black Death? We all know the answer. The Renaissance.Rebirth 93 . Zobrist persists that the only way to “heal” the world is by taking a great measure, to infect people with something equal to the Black Death. He believes that 92 D. Brown, Inferno, 80 93 D. Brown, Inferno, 43 men need significant reformation change the way they look at the world. Zobrist, moreover, says that: It has always been this way. Death is followed by birth. To reach Paradise, man must pass through Inferno. This, the master taught us. And yet the silver-haired ignorant dares call me monster? Does she still not grasp the mathematics of the future? The horrors it will “bring? I am the Shade. I am your salvation. And so I stand, deep within this cavern, gazing out across the lagoon that reflects no stars. Here in this sunken palace, Inferno smolders beneath the waters. Soon it will burst into flames. And when it does, nothing on earth will be able to stop it” 94 . Zobrist refers to the phenomenon happened 700 years ago when black pledge wipes the whole Europe and killed millions of people. However, after that devastating event, men were reborn and live a better era than before, the Renaissance era. In that passage, he states that he is the salvation, he is the one that will save mankind. Although his idea seems illogical, according to existential philosophy, he proposes the idea of abandonment. Sartre states that man is abandoned by God and left alone in the world. There is nothing that will change men’s fate but men themselves 95 . For common people, his idea is madness. On the other hand, his idea embodies aptness that cannot be denied. Perhaps, Zobrist is really the one who will rescue mankind. Langdon states that: 94 D. Brown, Inferno, 43 95 J.P. Sartre, Existentialism and Humanism, 26 “Marta, you know Ignazio. He would never have removed the mask without a good reason. There’s a bigger picture here. The owner of the mask, Bertrand Zobrist, was a very confused man. We think he may be involved in something terrible. I don’t have time to explain it all, but I’m begging you to trust us.” 96 From the discussion, Langdon and Martha tend to see Zobrist as a confused man. However, even if Zobrist is crazy, the evidence that he shows to Sinsky is scientific evidence. It clearly suggests the biggest problem in preserving men’s life is their own population. He clearly thinks about the equation, the calculation, and anything related to the evidence about the danger of uncontrolled population, which is not the depiction of a crazy person. He is logical. However, logic often translated as madness. Zobrist insists that the only way to save mankind is to control the population. His action is not merely based on scientific calculation; it is also affected by the sense of abandonment. The idea of abandonment is about expelling God in every decision. The argument that is given to Sinskey is the picture of Zobrist consciousness on a self-action. In the meeting with Sinkey, Zobrist says that: Elizabeth was seething now. “Whoever you are, you know damned well the WHO takes overpopulation very seriously. Recently we spent millions of dollars sending doctors into Africa to deliver free condoms and educate people about birth control.” “Ah, yes” the lanky man derided. “And an even bigger army of Catholic missionaries marched in on your heels and told the Africans that if they 96 D. Brown, Inferno, 139 used the condoms, they’d all go to hell. Africa has a new environmental issue now —landfills overflowing with unused condoms.” 97 From that passage, Zobrist claims that religion does no help to solve the population problem. Religion is the representation of God. In that statement, he claims that God will give no help to solve this problem. Therefore, he understands that men need to save themselves. Population number for sustainable life is around four billion and he tries to reach that number. His effort to create a virus is the evidence of his understanding of the concept of abandonment; the problem can only be fixed by men’s own effort. Supporting the idea of abandonment, Sartre, moreover, proposes the idea of subjectivity. Sartre states that: Prior to that projection of the self, nothing exists, not even in divine intelligence, and man shall attain existence only when he is what he projects himself to be – not what he would like to be. What we usually understand by “will” is a conscious decision that most of us take after we have made ourselves what we are 98 . Based on Sartre’s subjectivity, Zobrist’s pronouncement reflects two things. Firstly, it reflects freedom of choice. He understands that men are the only one who can make such decision. Secondly, Zobrist understands that he is the one that can make a change because he is a scientist. Take for example if Zobrist is a farmer; he might not make this kind of decision for he does not have the ability to execute such choice. He makes his decision because he has the ability to execute his decision. 97 D. Brown, Inferno, 81 98 J.P. Sartre, Existentialism and Humanism, 23 Sienna explains that Zobrist is one of the most brilliant scientists that she has ever encountered. She explains: “Bertrand Zobrist. Famous biochemist.Made a fortune in biological patents at a young age.” She paused, swallowing hard. She leaned over and whispered to Langdon. “Zobrist basically invented the field of germ- line manipulation.” Langdon had no idea what germ-line manipulation was, but it had an ominous ring, especially in light of the recent spate of images involving plagues and death. He wondered if Sienna knew so much about Zobrist because she was well read in the field of medicine … or perhaps because they had both been child prodigies. Do savants follow each other’s work? “I first heard of Zobrist a few years ago,” Sienna explained, “when he made some highly provocative declarations in the media about population growth.” She paused, her face gloomy. “Zobrist is a proponent of the Population Apocalypse Equation.” 99 Sienna’s explanation shows that Zobrist is one of the best scientists in the world. Moreover, he has a special interest in the field of population and apocalypse. Based on that fact, one of t he reasons of his endeavor is just because he can. Zobrist’s endeavor is the exam ple of Sartre’s subjectivity. Men are limited by his own subjectivity; a man with no physical ability will not decide to cross a big river by swimming and man who is allergic to seafood will not decide to go to a seafood restaurant. Men’s own subjectivity is the one the limit them to reach their dream. However, it also reasons of an individual to do such immeasurable endeavor. Therefore, Zobrist makes his decision just because he can. In the sense of morality, Zobrist action can be seen as madness. However, it does not mean that it will change the fact. Moral conduct will not change the fact that 99 D. Brown, Inferno, 130 Zobrist’s idea employs righteousness. Langdon, after he spends more time to unders tand Zobrist, thinks that Zobrist’s deed is not entirely wrong. Landon thinks that “Bertrand Zobrist has redesigned our species … in an attempt to save us … transforming us into a less fruitful population” 100 . When it comes to fact and logic, Zobrist’s deed is certainly logical. However, men are not truly living when they only use their logic. Therefore, feeling and passion are important for men’s life. When an individual acts based on logic, they will be alienated, they will live in their loneliness.

B. The Limitation of Hope and Freedom

Zobrist’s pronouncement to spread the virus is the instance of despair. Despair is the idea that separates men from their hope and dream. As Machiavelli famous saying “The ends justify the means” 101 . It means that no matter what men are intended to do, the result of their action is the one that will determine their identity. Zobrist certain that he is the only one that will able to fix the population problem because he knows that other experts do not have the ideology and fortitude to do it. Hence, they will refuse to do such deed for the sake of morality. Zobrist decides that he is the only one that has the capability and the heart to fight the absurd, the world. Sinskey portrays Zobrist as a brilliant individual who lost in his own mind. The second she meets Zobrist, she already knows that this man has a threatening psyche. Closing her eyes and fighting his nausea, Elizabeth Sinskey remembers about the time when Zobrist lecture her about population in Council on 100 D. Brown, Inferno, 317 101 D. Brown, Inferno, 327 Foreign Relations building. With his green eyes, Zobrist induce her about the danger of human population. He says that there is no time left and no one will do it if experts like him and her do not want to act. “It is imperative that someone take bold action, he had declared, his green eyes flashing. If not us, who? If not now, when?” 102 . Zobrist is against the odd. He rejects all hope for hope will not solve the problem. He believes that no one will help him or continue his endeavor after he dies. Therefore, he decides to pursue his dream by himself. This kind of life attitude frequently judged as pessimistic doctrine, but opposite to that assumption, this is a highly optimistic doctrine. It regards men as the one who can decide their own destiny. The idea of despair is the idea that puts men as the center of the universe 103 . Sartre, moreover, gives an illustration of his friend who comes to visit him by train. He expects that his friend will come in time. However, he also understands that there is a big possibility for hi s friend to come late. Based on Sartre’s analogy, Zobrist’s decision is a practice of existential idea where he puts himself as the controller of his plan. Existentialist declares that men must not rely on hope. The time when men decide to execute their plan, they need to throw away the hope that someday, someone will help them. The idea presented by Zobrist is a simple and accurate idea. However, people refuse to take any action with the circumstance. Sienna states that Zobrist has an essay called Who Need Agathusia. It is an essay about good sacrifice. The essay is a 102 D. Brown, Inferno, 121 103 J.P. Sartre, Existentialism and Humanism, 26 critique towards World Health Organization for their rejection on the fact that overpopulation is the main problem in man preservation. In their conversation, Sienna deciphers the text as Zob rist’s derision towards Sinskey’s leadership. “So, Zobrist’s essay …” Langdon said. “I’m not sure I understand the title. ‘Who Needs Agathusia?’ Was he saying it sarcastically? As in who needs benevolent suicide … we all do?” “Actually no, the title is a pun.” Langdon shook his head, not seeing it. “Who needs suicide—as in the W-H-O—the World Health Organization. In his essay, Zobrist railed against the director of the WHO —Dr. Elizabeth Sinskey —who has been there forever and, according to Zobrist, is not taking population control seriously. His article was saying that the WHO would be better off if Director Sinskey killed herself.” 104 Based on the conversation, Zobrist understands that no one will help him since WHO as the organization that has the responsibility to preserve human race does not have any effort to act regarding the overpopulation problem. The essay is the evidence of Zobrist’s despair. Instead of trying to persuade WHO, he decides to mock them and tell them to kill themselves. It shows that Zobrist needs no help from them. Consistent with Dante’s idea that puts a man who does not choose a side and does nothing are the greatest sinner, existentialism sees man as an entity that has nothing but his action, when there is no act, there is no existence. In that context, there is a big possibility in which Zobrist thinks that it is better to be remembered as a crazy scientist because of his act than remembered as a good scientist that does not act in the time of crisis. 104 D. Brown, Inferno, 143 Furthermore, Zobrist ’s deed is the depiction of the perplexity. The core of existential philosophy puts men as the decision maker. In the case of Abraham, he is the one who takes the decision and not God or Angel. It is natural for men to have questions for that order. However, Abraham does not ask a single question. He is faithful and obeys the order. Abraham has his own reason and the reason must be something he has fabricated through a long process of thinking and understanding. The process frequently causes doubt and perplexity. It is the confirmation that the decision which has been made is the best decision and the only decision that has v alue. Sartre states that “anguish is not a screen that separates us from action, but a condition of action itself” 105 . People see the anguish of freedom in a similar way to quietism or inaction, but Sartre explains that every sane man who takes any kind of decision is filled with the feeling of anguish 106 . In some states, anguish is similar to perplexity. Not in the sense of man doubting himself, but in the sense understanding the possibility grievance. This kind of perplexity is shown in the case of Hamlet. He has some doubts whether he is going to kill his father’s killer for the sake of revenge or not. Hamlet is a depiction of the confusion caused by freedom. When a person has ten sets of menus, he will suffer from confusion about what kind of food they want to take. It is different when he only has one menu. However, such confusion is needed in order to find the right answer for confusion is the part of 105 J.P. Sartre, Existentialism and Humanism, 27 106 J.P. Sartre, Existentialism and Humanism, 27 the answer itself. Langdon says that “It’s the conflict between Apollo and Dionysus —a famous dilemma in mythology. It’s the age-old battle between mind and heart, which seldom want the same thing.” 107 Parallel to Hamlet, Bertrand Zobrist suffers from the perplexity of self. When he decides to meet Sinskey in New York, he wants to discern of WHO. It is not a portrait of his humble soul for he is a man with a high confidence. It is a depiction of his journey to find an answer for his anguish. He shows the human population data. He also shows the exponential math of duplication and he also shows the spiritual destruction that will happen if mankind does not control their population. It is not an act of persuading; it is an act of finding justification. Zobrist says that: “I have shown you this image of impending misery.” He refreshed the screen, again displaying th e image of the bodies. “I have reminded you of the awesome power of unchecked population growth.” He pointed to his small stack of paper. “I have enlightened you about the fact that we are on the brink of a spiritual collapse.” He paused and turned directly toward her. “And your response? Free condoms in Africa.” 108 Zobrist derides Sinskey because he does not understand her denial. She fails to see a simple math. He claims that Sinskey has failed to see the fact. The way WHO handles this matter results in nothing but failure. Zobrist, moreover states that: The man gave a derisive sneer. “This is like swinging a flyswatter at an incoming asteroid. The time bomb is no longer ticking. It has already gone off, and without drastic measures, exponential mathematics will become your new God … and ‘He’ is a vengeful God. He will bring to you Dante’s vision of hell right outside on Park Avenue … huddled 107 D. Brown, Inferno, 109 108 D. Brown, Inferno, 82