On love

In the book I’m currently reading there's a conversation between the protagonist, a man with a sceptical attitude to religion, and his friend - a Catholic priest; and they discuss what hell is. I am an atheist through and through but to my surprise I totally agree with the priest's vision of hell:

“ - Hell is to be without love. To be without hope. Hell is to be alone in a place where time never ends, the clock never stops ticking but the hands never move…

- I like to be alone. There's nothing I prefer more. To be alone in the mountains with my paints…

- That is not alone! You are merely without human company. But the butterflies you paint are with you, the trees and insects, birds. God. Whether you acknowledge Him or not. To be alone is to be in a void. Without even memory. Memories are a great weapon against solitude. Even the memory of love can be salvation…

The memory of love can save us all from hell.”

I can't help remembering Natural Born Killers and Mickey's words: “Only love can beat the demon.” 

It got me thinking that I don't necessarily need love but I need the idea of love, that it is essential to me to know that there's such a thing as love. Somehow that's enough.