NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

 

Sounds familiar, yes? That is the title of a poem written by John Donne (the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London in the early 17^th century).

No man is an island,

Entire of itself;

Every man is a piece of the continent, 

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

As well as if a promontory were:

As well as if a manor of thy friend's

Or of thine own were.

Any man's death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.

 

What does this mean? We do not exist by or for ourselves, we are not the only ones who matter. This also means that we tend not to thrive when isolated from our fellow men (& women). Ironic isn’t it how so many of us are still reeling from the isolation we experienced through much of 2020 and part of 2021?

 

It is no wonder that so many of us are ready to “get out into the world”, we need to hug our loved ones, kick up our heels a bit and party, take the family on that exciting vacation and mix with others… Yes, it is time to “live again”, but we still have to be cautious.

 

Just today I read an article how better than half-a-dozen ALREADY VACCINATED people came down with Covid after being a crowded meeting together. Admittedly, there was no report of how many total people there were who were NOT vaccinated. The thing is, is it really so hard to wear a mask for safety in a crowded indoor setting?

 

The vaccines offer up to about 94% immunity, that’s still not 100%, and depending on out individual immune systems, those few points might make a difference. And before you ask why bother getting the vaccine at all, the recorded statistics do show that fully vaccinated folks who do catch Covid-19 generally have milder cases than those without vaccines. And since they have found variants of the virus, we should still take precautions anyway. Down the road we will learn more about boosters and more.

 

It is very scary, but it is scarier to think of a widespread pandemic shutting off our contacts with family and friends again. We are in this all together — like Donne said, “NO man is an island”, so let’s work together and live life TOGETHER… SAFELY. 

Do it for yourself and for those around you.

 

John Donne

Life Matters ~ #MondayBlogs

Lately our news reports have been filled with demonstrations and movements with catch-phrases such as Black Lives Matter, Blue (Police) Lives Matter, and All Lives Matter. (I certainly would hope that ALL Lives Matter)

I believe in each cause… completely and unfortunately can understand the motive behind each. I think every group, senior citizens, women, the poor and underprivileged, the disabled, all ethnic groups, all faith-based groups, the LGBTQ community, and basically every living being is entitled to matter.

I believe that each movement touting that “??? Lives Matter” is NOT saying that other lives don’t matter; even so some people are angered by terms which single out one group. There are a lot of misconceptions that lead people to think that a movement FOR one group automatically pits that group against another. There is another misconception that supporters must belong to the same group and any concern for someone who is “different” is out of place.

Several years ago I called a local community’s highway department to complain about a hazardous situation near a retirement community forcing people in wheelchairs and electric carts to share a busy road with cars and trucks. I will never forget the response I got. Him, “Are you disabled?” Me, “No.”, Him, “Then why do you care?”

There was another incident where an acquaintance told me about a conversation he overheard; an angry individual was complaining about someone else in a community position and said to an elected official, “You have to help us get rid of that ##### (ethnic slur)”. I told my acquaintance that was horrible and asked if he said anything, his response literally floored me — “Why? I’m not ##### (more polite ethnic term).”

From the Education Department of The National World War II Museum: ‘“In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.” --Pastor Martin Niemöller, 1945.’

I think it is time to embrace each movement of Lives Matter whether we are part of the same group or not, but we also have to avoid dividing ourselves from others. If any life is hurt or taken, we must take it all personally, it is as if we are the ones who have been hurt. We need to care for one another as we would want to be cared for. For every mouth that goes hungry, we must feel the pangs of hunger; for every tear that is shed, we must cry along; for every wound that is inflicted, we must share our blood. No matter what or who, we are all the same, we are all one.

"No man is an island, entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of
thine own were: any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind,
and therefore never send
to know for whom the bells tolls;
it tolls for thee."
 ~ John Donne