We're in this Together!

John Donne writes, “No man is an island entire of itself. . .every man is a part of the main[land]. . .every man’s death diminishes me” because I am a part of every man.[i]  In other words, we are all connected, like a continent, not an island.

I recently had surgery to have a bone spur removed from my ankle from years of basketball.  When I met with the surgeon, he said, “Well, you have one of the largest bone spurs I have ever seen, so we are going to have to cut off your foot and ankle.” (gasp!)

Of course, he didn’t say that!  When a part of your body, like an ankle, is not functioning, the body compensates for the injury until that part heals and can resume all of its functions within the body.  Humanity is a body made up of various parts, all significant and integral to the body thriving, not just surviving.

Amputees often experience phantom pains.  Long after a limb is removed, amputees will reach over to touch the leg or arm because it feels as if it is there, and they often experience excruciating pain.  The body misses the significant part, and the body’s existence is permanently altered.

A lost index finger means tying shoes will be more difficult.  A lost big toe throws off the body’s entire equilibrium.  A lost eye creates difficulties with depth perception.  Every part of the body is significant, and every part of humanity is significant, as well.  This is why you must use the unique combination of strengths, gifts, or talents you possess.  You are the only person who can bring your uniqueness and, in turn, your significance to your community and world.

And remember, those parts that are unseen are more significant than those that get all the attention.  Washboard abs are great.  If you got ‘em, good for you!  And a “beautiful face” is great!  I highly recommend symmetry!  But without a liver, you won’t live very long!  Without kidneys, you’re not going to make it!  Without a heart, it’s over!  Humanity needs a heart!  If you’re an eye, be an eye!  If you’re a toe, be a toe!  If you’re a lung, be a lung!  Be who you are, and do what you were designed to do!

            All too often we try to be someone we aren’t.  We try to be Michael Jordan or Lebron James.  We try to be Johnny Depp or Tom Cruise.  We try to be Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.  We try to be Lady Gaga or Usher.  We don’t need another Lebron James, Johnny Depp, Steve Jobs, or Lady Gaga.  We need you!

And let’s be honest: you have weaknesses, and you need to know your weaknesses because they too are going to bless the body of humanity.  What Brad?  My weaknesses will bless humanity?  Yes!  I love this very famous statement:  When I am weak, I am strong.[ii]  Here’s the deal:  When Socrates said , “Know Thyself,” I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean just what’s good about you, or just what’s bad about you.  I think he meant know all of you, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the strengths, and the weaknesses.

Your weaknesses make you an integral part of humanity as much as your strengths do.  Think about it, if my eyesight is not so great, yes I might need glasses, but my body will compensate by making my other senses, like hearing and my sense of smell, more acute.  That’s what Marvel’s Daredevil is all about!  It’s well-documented that people who are blind often have other heightened senses.  Our weaknesses allow other parts of the body of humanity to rise to the occasion, to contribute their strengths just as your strengths contribute in areas of others’ weakness.  Know thyself!  Every part of yourself!

Humanity is like a tapestry woven together to create a beautiful, diverse, multi-colored portrait, but when you try to be someone else, you are a missing thread from the tapestry, creating a gap, which leads to a tear in the fabric of humanity, growing larger and larger as humanity faces the difficult challenges of this world.  You may think you are just a small thread with little strength, but the strength of your thread, combined with other threads creates the strength to endure and overcome the weight of the world.  The loss of each person’s unique gifts over time leads to the unraveling of humanity.

So be who you are, and if you don’t know your unique combination of strengths, gifts, and talents, start searching and finding them, and bring them to your community and world.

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[i] Donne, John.  John Donne’s Poetry.  Ed. Donald R. Dickson.  London:  W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. Print.

[ii] 1 Corinthians 12:10

Chapter 3: The Shift