The Bell Tolls for Thee

There is a beautiful poem by John Donne: “For whom the bell tolls.”

No man is an Island“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.”

These words have a deep meaning for the time. They were written around 1624. Translated it states that we are all part of each other on a higher level. Therefore when one suffers, we all suffer. When someone starves, we all starve. When our fellows pass, we feel the reality of our mortality, so part of ourselves moves one as well. More importantly, when evil deeds are done, and we are indifferent to them, we become the doer.

The Golden Age of Communication

On the other hand, as we counter the discord, calamity, and evil-doers with acts of compassion, love and faith the bell rings a new melody hope and inspiration. There is a massive outpouring of love throughout social media. Whether or not we subscribe to the tenents of specific individuals, the message is the same. We have the power to make a positive change. As we see from the poem of John Donne, the message is not a new one. Society is in the golden age of communication.

Bell tolls for theeEven as the media mongers thrust lousy news, conspiracies, and despair at us daily, their power is diminished by people of goodwill shedding the light of truth and inspiration. Things are getting better. The better things get, the more noticeable the bad becomes. This apparency is why we think things are so bad. There is such a contrast in this golden age that the negativity is like a speck of black ink on a white painting. We only see the black when in fact the canvas is mostly white.

So as we all ring the bell, remember it tolls for thee, and everyone. So we all need to ring out a melody of goodness.

Inspired by the song by Rush, “Losing it.” As individuals of great inspiration diminish and move on, the next of us must be ready to ring the bell of hope.

Be Well, Have Gratitude and Spread Goodwill

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