Saturday, February 8, 2014

Dig This

"The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in times of moral crisis preserve their neutrality."

John F. Kennedy

The quote is attributed to JFK but his brother Bobby explained that it is actual an interpretation of a part of Dante's Inferno.

In the third canto, Dante and his guide Virgil, on their way to Hell, pass a group of dead souls outside the entrance to Hell. These souls, when alive, remained neutral during a time of great moral decision. Virgil explains to Dante that these souls cannot enter either Heaven or Hell because they did not choose one side or another. They are therefore worse than the greatest sinners in Hell because they are repugnant to both God and Satan alike.

That is heavy duty, baby. Repugnant to both God and Satan. That is no-wheres-ville, man.

I take no credit for the knowledge or the analysis. I have not read Dante's Inferno. Yet.

The brother Bobby thing and the summation of the scene from the Inferno came from the JFK fast facts section of the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, on line.

I came across the quote and that lead me to the rest.

Love the quote, love the explanation of where it was derived from.

I need to stop being morally ambiguous.

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