Isolation with involvement

Oasis

“No man is an island...” wrote John Donne, an English poet, priest and lawyer, in 1624. The assertion, which is followed by lines expounding that statement, appears in a devotional treatise. Those five words have passed into proverbial use and are frequently quoted. The message is clear. None of us is self-sufficient enough to manage without our fellow human-beings; nor should we selfishly ignore them. As members of the global community, we are all interdependent.

What does Donne’s categorical catchphrase mean to us during the present pandemic? Should we huddle together with a few whom we cherish? Confronting a common concern, we should not confine our attention to family and friends. Rather, we must look beyond them, especially when large sections of society are enduring harsh deprivation. We may not be able to tackle complex logistical challenges, but we can certainly make a difference. It is heartening to hear of youngsters helping the homeless and feeding starving animals.

Elderly folk are especially vulnerable, and not only to the coronavirus. They suffer from anxiety about the lack of immediate access to essentials. It is even harder for those living alone. They would welcome reassuring calls or messages.

One wonders what John Donne would have thought of social distancing as a preventive measure. The danger of contagion was not unknown to him. He was familiar with the dreaded plague that swept through London at periodic intervals, killing thousands on each visit. Despite seeing death on that stupendous scale, he cautions us against regarding it with indifference. ‘Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee,’ is his conclusion to the previously mentioned ‘island’ passage. Referring to the grim knell sounded at funerals, he endorses empathy.

That was four hundred years ago when the means of communication now available to us were nonexistent. Unlike Donne and his contemporaries, we can stay safe indoors and still do a lot for people, far and near. The need of the hour is isolation with involvement!