John Donne's vision of humanity?
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 friends 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
It makes perfect sense to me.
2006-09-22 03:41:20 · 10 answers · asked by ZombieTrix 2012 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Absolutely. We share the same planet. We breathe the same air. We are each "involved in mankind." We should act accordingly and treat one another as brothers and sisters.
And, even though I personally don't believe in an afterlife, I always admired the way he described life after death: "When one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language." ~ John Donne
2006-09-22 03:43:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I believe this.
It is also a central belief of the Catholic Church. Catholics call this being a member of the Body of Christ. It is one of the reasons we confess our sins to a priest and why we pray for those in Purgatory.
Our sins not only damage our relationship between ourselves and God, but because each and every one of us is a part of the Body of Christ, a personal private sin also harms the relationship that the Body of Christ has with God. When we confess to the priest, the priest represents God and the larger faith community. We seek forgiveness not just from God because we have offended Him, but also from the larger faith community because our sin harms the community.
Those who have left this life and have gone onto the next are still a part of the Body of Christ. If a person leaves this life in God's grace, but not perfect, he or she must undergo a final justification before he or she can enter Heaven. This is called Purgatory.
Justification is never easy. It means that we must tear ourselves away from this world and that is not easy. In Purgatory, we are purged of any attachment we have to this sinful life. When one of us suffers we all suffer. When we patiently bear the struggles we have in this life, we are uniting ourselves with the struggles those in Purgatory are going through.
The bright side is that when one of us rejoices, we all have occassion to rejoice. The good that we do in this life lifts all of us closer to God. This includes those in Purgatory.
2006-09-22 10:54:23 · answer #2 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like a good idea. True we are not entirely alone. We all have friends, perhaps family, or someone to lift us up in our despair as well as our delights. So I'd say that I half-hearted agree with him.
2006-09-22 10:52:43 · answer #3 · answered by bro_ken128 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Human beings are God's creation...each having a purpose and each a part of the whole...humanity. When one is hurt, it affects all..that is the point...we are a brotherhood...with or without our understanding of it.
2006-09-22 10:44:51 · answer #4 · answered by jmmevolve 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
More sensible than the rantings found in the religious books of the world'd religions.
2006-09-22 10:44:03 · answer #5 · answered by ? 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A great poem. Yes I agree.
2006-09-22 10:43:55 · answer #6 · answered by a_delphic_oracle 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I wish I was connected to you! Can I ring your bell?
2006-09-22 13:00:25 · answer #7 · answered by Rude 4 U 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im no clod
2006-09-22 10:45:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
That is quite nice actually
2006-09-22 10:43:55 · answer #9 · answered by ηιgнт ѕтαя 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
interesting
2006-09-22 10:48:51 · answer #10 · answered by AuBrEy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋