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 the 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's been a long time since I read this poem but I recently saw it written on a poster and was struck by it. Of course I hear the phrase "no man is an island" fairly often but I didn't always think of the rest of the poem. I think I find it so striking now because I'm trying to deal with the change involved with leaving friends and family.

It so vividly paints how important people are to each other and I particularly like the line, "any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind." It doesn't necessarily have to be about death, but it highlights that friends and family are so valuable and will always be a part of you wherever you go. Being "involved in mankind" could take on another meaning on a spiritual level as well.

So I haven't eloquently analyzed it (I'll leave that to Melissa) but I just wanted to post it for your reading pleasure.