Margaret J. Wheatley, an author who studies organizational behavior, stated, “Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone.” These words spread the idea that humans all rely on one another and the actions of individuals affect everyone in a way. In “No Man is an Island,” John Donne builds on this idea by claiming that individuals all connect to each other in a way. One way that humans are all connected to each other is through their natural reliance on one another. Instead of being “an island entire of itself”, Donne asserts that every human being “is a piece of the continent; a part of the main.” “Islands” possess a lonely, isolated connotation, while “continent” represents the interconnectedness of humans. Humans cannot live their lives separated from the rest of their species on their own “island.” Our species naturally thrives when living in groups, as we cannot survive without others present. Similarly, JFK used islands as a symbol in his …show more content…
However, Donne proves this claim wrong when he asserts, “any man’s death diminishes me”— revealing that a part of a human “dies” when “any” other member of their species does. Furthermore, he states, “never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” This part of his poem continues to develop the idea that individuals affect all of mankind, as no matter who “the bell tolls” for, it partly always tolls for us, as we are all part of the same mankind. Would humans live differently without their natural sense of connectedness? This idea continues the debate about whether humans rely on each other and if the actions of individuals affect mankind as an entirety. I believe that one should not truly live in isolation, as ones who isolate themselves do not truly