For Whom The Bell Tolls

A couple of weeks ago on a Sunday morning I made reference to one of my favourite pieces of literature - John Donne’s Meditation XVII, ‘No Man Is An Island’.

The passage begins with that classic statement that ‘no man is an island’ and ends with another classic line that almost everyone has heard but few have made it their task to understand – ‘Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee’.

John Donne lived in 17th century England and the bells he was writing about were the church bells which marked various events and were a common feature of daily life in that day. More specifically though, he was writing about funeral bells. This is made clear by the preceding line of the poem - “Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind”. It is said that Donne wrote those words from his sick bed which makes it even more poignant.

Here is the piece:

'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 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.

MEDITATION XVII
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions
John Donne


I have a personal affinity for this line of thought. It draws me in, as with all good poetry. But I also have a very specific practice that I engage in that ties me to it; a habit if you will.

Church bells are not such a common thing anymore, but I’ll tell you what is – ambulance sirens! I’ll share just a little secret with you. Whenever I hear an ambulance siren, I pray for the person for whom that siren is calling out. And I always pray with the recognition that it could be me and one day it will be.

We are bound together by our common humanity. The Christian faith (yes, Donne was a Christian) elevates man to the dignity afforded to those made by God in His image. It also endows every single individual with great personal worth for the same reason. I love that about Christianity. It makes us all equals and informs us that every life matters; every person is to be valued; every death is to be mourned; everyone is connected somehow in this great story of life. To really come to the place where ‘any man’s death diminishes me’ is to come to a place of understanding of the value of human life, made in God’s image. It becomes the grounds for real compassion and genuine care for others.

In a day and age when life has for many become so apparently cheap, it is encouraging to remember that God doesn’t think so. And it is His opinion that matters after all.