For Whom The Bell Tolls

Never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.

John Donne

Some of you may recognize this photo from a prior post. I am drawn to it, again and again. It is the site of a wedding reception, we attended, held in an orchard. I fantasize about Thanksgiving dinner set here in a field among the trees.

The birds are softly chirping and a light breeze is rustling the trees branches. We are seated at the table and begin to pass around the serving plates heaped with turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. As we begin the feast, we are reminded to give thanks for all the blessing we have received the past year. Just as we are ready to push our chairs away from the table and consider a nap, out comes the pumpkin pie crowned with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I would guess our dinner conversation, as we enjoyed our lavish meal, didn’t include our connection to the rest of humanity. I had always heard the quote from John Donne as, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” Easier to understand, I imagine. The message is the same. We are all connected to one another. We cannot afford to take others lives for granted. Another well-known quote from this poem is, “No man is an island.”

During the time the words were written, John Donne was living in London, near a cathedral. He had been ill at the time and as he lay in bed, he heard the church bells ringing the death knell. During this time, he wrote the immortal lines, “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls and “No man is an Island.”

As we sit down to our Thanksgiving dinner and give thanks for all we have received, we might give a thought to what is going on in the world around us and realize we are not immune from the consequences. No man is an island.