"no man is an island" 79/366

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 any 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.
John Donne (1572-1631)

I am about to confess my ignorance.

I did not know that the phrase "no man is an island" was from a poem.

I am of the era of Simon and Garfunkel's "I am a Rock, I am an Island".

I kind of remember someone saying their song was refuting "no man is an island".

It's been awhile, so I pulled up that song on Youtube.

Wow, whoever wrote those lyrics was deeply wounded.

And the one "in the song" was all about practicing self imposed social distancing.

But I digress.

All day I have wondered how to encourage my extroverted friends.

Tonight my thoughts went to "no man is an island" because I spent the evening with family.

I was contemplating how COVID-19 is affecting our social interactions.

How one person's decision whether or not they will practice

• staying home if they feel sick
• social distancing
• good hygiene

can affect whole populations-

for good or bad.

Simon and Garfunkel's I am a Rock, I am an Island Lyrics

A winter's day

In a deep and dark

December

I am alone

Gazing from my window to the streets below

On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow

I am a rock

I am an island

I've built walls

A fortress deep and mighty

That none may penetrate

I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain

It's laughter and it's loving I disdain

I am a rock

I am an island

Don't talk of love

But I've heard the words before

It's sleeping in my memory

I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died

If I never loved I never would have cried

I am a rock

I am an island...

Simon and Garfunkel got it wrong.

No man, no woman, is an island.

We might feel that way,

but feelings are not reliable and often are deceitful.

The way we live, the choices we make, impact other people.

Whether we mean for them to or not, doesn't change the reality.

What I do affects you.

What you do affects me.

What diminishes you, diminishes me.

Let's build one another up.

No man, no woman, is an island.

Jesus followers, this is especially true for us. 

1 Corinthians 12:14-26:

"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."