Alone!

     You may have never heard of John Donne.  In 1624 he wrote Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes – Meditation XVII.  But you may be familiar with the ending of that poem which says:  “And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls It tolls for thee.”  This part of the poem was the inspiration for Ernest Hemingway’s 1940 novel For Whom The Bell Tolls, regarded as one of Hemingway’s best works.

     However, I want to consider the beginning of that poem within this writing:  “No man is an island entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main.”  Donne was stating an obvious conclusion:  Human beings necessarily depend on one another.  You can’t manage a certain situation all by yourself!

     Regrettably this is how most of us travel through this span of time that we call our life.  We hold within ourselves problems and difficulties thinking that others will think less of us if we confide that we are facing certain difficulties.

     This is especially true if we are dealing with some personal emotional or physical ailment.  “No one will truly understand what I am going through.”  And that may be a true statement.  Everyone faces their personal circumstances in different ways.  But we don’t have to face them alone!

     We need to let go the shackles which tend to bind us to our perceptions of what others may think.  We need to remove from our minds any perceived “stigma” which we may feel will be attached to our present condition.  We need to reach out to those around us and seek any help that they may be able to provide, even if it is their ability to sit with us and give us a “listening ear.”

     We shouldn’t isolate ourselves with an inner fear that we will be looked down upon or condemn ourselves because of what is happening to us.  We cannot build a wall around ourselves thinking that things will become better for us if we remove ourselves from the ones that can provide us the strength to continue to fight.  We cannot become an island upon ourselves thinking that we will be better if no one is able to reach us.

     NO!  We must reach out to others and let them help us in whatever way they can!  Our biggest obstacle to overcome is ourselves --- but then again, we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"To live a life without others,

May be worse than not living a life at all!"