Beautiful Things In The World: No Man Is an Island

John Donne's Words:

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 any manner 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.

The words from 'The Island' by Armin Greder, Jason van Gereden's visual poem, and John Donne's poem all reflect similar text. They all talk about the illusion of difference that humans believe, the discrimination between humans equal to us. The theme of the texts is isolation, and how no man can survive on it's own, we're all connected. The story of how people just make up the differences, without actually understanding them. The beggars on the street are passed without being looked at, or thought of their poor condition. In The Island, Greder showed how 'the stranger' was silenced and labeled as a monster without doing anything at all, showing the fear of difference. But Donne's words lecture about the connection, the similarity that bind us, yet the simple differences put a sea in between " a part of the main".

The Island (Greder) highlights prejudice, as without introduction or anything, the lost man is marked as a threat, a stranger. He's voiceless and powerless, treated like an animal for looking different from the natives of the Island. He's thrown around the village without having as much of say in it, the people of the island dehumanize him and turn their thoughts of him into a monster. The 'otherness' is strong too, on how looks deceive them, separating them, it creates a barrier. The man is taken away because he's an other, someone thats not them, and it's because he comes from elsewhere, he's lost and in poor condition, but still an other. The visual poem also expresses the otherness of the tramps, how their poor quality is ignored by the people passing by. They are segregating themselves from the street beggars by ignoring their 'loathsome' existence. Donne dismisses the idea of isolation, instead promotes togetherness, "every man is a piece of the continent". He conveys that mankind is like a puzzle and every man/piece is needed to finish the whole picture, and every piece connected with each that makes one man's mistake, everyone else's too.

The distinction between the 'us' and 'them' is an instinct made by humans. They are afraid of what 'they' could do, what 'they' might do. Creating barriers just helps the 'us' feel more safe, their afraid of the change that might come from interacting. From Donne's words, it seems all mankind is connected, one man's mistake is yours too, "I am involved in mankind". Discriminating yourselves, also is an act of possession, Greder's book conveys this when none of the villagers wanted 'the stranger' coming in contact with 'their' things, as it might be poison to them. The villagers thought it was best to lock him up, because they were afraid to lose their power and their land. The visual poem tells that underneath every unnoticed homeless person on the street, there's hope of surviving and a story worth listening to. Connecting Donne's word to this, we're responsible for each other, looking after one another, for every man is linked, creating mankind, joining the puzzle together.

Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances. ~Wayne W. Dyer