“On meurt deux Source fois, je le vois bien : > > Cesser d’aimer & d’être aimable, > > C’est une mort insupportable : > > Cesser de vivre, ce n’est rien.”
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This poignant quatrain, often attributed to the great Enlightenment thinker Voltaire, presents a startling proposition. It suggests we face two deaths in our lifetime. One is the familiar cessation of life. The other, however, is a far more terrifying demise. It is the death of the heart, the end of love. While the topic mentions Dante’s Inferno, this quote invites us to explore a different kind of hell. It is not a place of fire and brimstone, but a state of being. This is a personal hell forged from isolation and emotional emptiness. Let’s unpack this profound idea and explore the gates to this unique inferno.
The First Death: An Unbearable End
Voltaire’s first death is a dual tragedy. He writes of ceasing to love and ceasing to be lovable. These two concepts are deeply intertwined. To stop loving is to close oneself off from a fundamental human experience. It means losing the capacity for empathy, connection, and joy. Furthermore, when we stop loving, we often become less lovable ourselves. Bitterness and cynicism can push others away. This creates a vicious cycle of isolation.
This emotional death is what Voltaire calls