E38: "No man is an island". Give your views on how people depend on one another.

John Donne, the English metaphysical poet (d. 1631), wrote these famous words, stressing the interdependence of the human race. The death of any man, he continues, 'diminishes me', so 'never seek to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee'. The argument is that individually we owe everything, or almost everything, to human solidarity. The exceptions to that principle merely serve to prove the rule. Our own individual contributions add to the sum total of knowledge, experience and insight which in turn add to the pool available for others to draw on.

This dependence is most obvious in man's early days. To state that a child depends on its parents for everything goes without saying, and where a child is deprived of parental care, for whatever reason, immense harm results. Yet, wise parents avoid domination and seek to foster independence in the child while providing a secure background. This attitude in fact strengthens relationships within the ideal nuclear family, so that often three, sometimes four generations are able to make positive contributions to each other's lives.

In countries where there is sexual equality, the interdependence of the two married partners, both emotionally and practically, remains the norm, though there are minority groups which challenge the desirability of the married state. For some time, in the west, the creation of a home has required two incomes, generally for mortgage repayments. Widespread unemployment, due to the world recession, has often left the female partner as the bread-winner, and has therefore led to a role reversal. Though unnatural, this can be made to work. None of this matters where the married state, or even a strong partnership without marriage, is seen as a lifelong relationship. Mutual loyalty is the key to success and to the happiness of children.
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