FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
In 1624,John Donne wrote:
“No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main… 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”.
His words are as true today as they were then. We are all connected. Women and men, young and old, able and disabled, born and pre-born, healthy and sick – we are united by our shared humanity. The question before our society now is this – is human life inherently valuable and sacred or does each person’s worth depend on their appearance, capabilities, age, gender, skin color or the importance placed on them by some other person? We are each marvelously unique. Each of us is a priceless piece in the gorgeous quilt of humanity. Refusing to accept the inherent worth of any of us diminishes the value of all of us. If we choose to strip any of us of our inherent value and worth, the value of each of the rest of us can be taken just as easily. No woman or man is an island. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls – it tolls for you.