"No Man is an Island"

I first came to know this term through the movie, About a Boy, which is a movie that I love with music that I also adore (the entire soundtrack is by Badly Drawn Boy). In this movie there is a man who is doing everything he can to not be connected with other people. He believes himself to be an island. Everything in his life is self-absorbed and shallow, until of course a troubled adolescent comes to his rescue. The movie aside, I find the quote to be really interesting. No man is an Island was originally written in the 1600's by a man named John Donne, who was a poet and a clergyman in England.

The term originally came from a meditation he had, and became a poem entitled "For Whom the Bell Tolls." You might recognize this as a Hemingway novel. The poem is a reflection on how each person is somehow connected to each other person. Donne uses the imagery of the continent, and how every clod that is washed away effects the continent--makes it smaller, less of a continent. In the same way every person's death "diminishes me because I am involved in" humanity. (Donne's words, I believe).

Each person is connected to each other person. There is no way around it. Sometimes the connections are really strong, like with your family or friends. Sometimes the connection has a negative impact on you. Sometimes the connection is unnoticed completely, but it is there. We are all connected with one another. The Buddhist call this the "not two doctrine" because they don't want to say we are one, but we're not two either. In Christian terms, we are all connect through the love God has for us which was expressed in creation, in the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are all connected in God, "in whom we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). The Divine life is present all around us and connects us all one to each other. These connection in Christ through the Holy Spirit can become more intentional through actions such as communion, and recognizing this communion with others even who are not present at the table during your worship service. This can become more intentional by reach out to others and coming to share in life that is lived in Christ. And recognizing that every time you break connection or use that connection inappropriately it doesn't just harm that person, but it hurts all of us. We are all connected for better or worse, and sometimes we are really good at the for worse part. Do what you can to make it better?

Peace,

mark

I found the poem here: http://www.poetry-online.org/donne_for_whom_the_bell_tolls.htm