“On meurt deux fois, je le vois bien :
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Cesser d’aimer & d’être aimable,
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C’est une mort insupportable :
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Cesser de vivre, ce n’est rien.”. Source
This poignant 18th-century French verse captures a profound truth about existence. It suggests we face two deaths. The first death is a spiritual one: the moment we stop loving and being lovable. This, the author argues, is the truly unbearable end. In contrast, the second death, the physical cessation of life, is comparatively nothing. This perspective forces us to reconsider our relationship with time. It shifts the focus from the quantity of our days to the quality of our moments.
We often measure life in years, months, and hours. However, this quote invites a more meaningful evaluation. Are we truly living if our days lack connection, passion, and kindness? The philosopher Seneca echoed this sentiment centuries earlier. He argued that life is not short, but that we make it so by wasting our time on trivial pursuits. . Therefore, the real tragedy is not a life that ends, but a life that was never truly lived. Source
. The Shortness of Life – Seneca
The First Death: A Life Without Connection
Let’s delve deeper into this concept of the. Time Management – Harvard Business Review