No man is an island
Vocabulary (C1-C2)
No man is an island
We are inherently social beings.
And our species is far from unique in this. It’s hard to think of any animal for whom the regulation of social behavior isn’t important. Each ant you see belongs to a colony. Human social behavior is more complicated, but it’s just as crucial for keeping us alive.
One big part of that social life? Emotions. Both animals and humans experience a range of emotions—fear, joy, shame, anger, respect, compassion …
Compassion …
When we’re hurting—whether it’s life or people that wound us—it’s in those moments we need to know we’re not alone. We crave the comfort of someone who shares our pain, even if they can’t actually fix it. Just knowing someone cares is enough to make everything feel a little better …
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 if a manor of thy friend’s
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.
(John Donne)
There’s a verb for when you share someone’s sorrow, even if you’re not the one going through it:
to commiserate
Check out this word in the coolest dictionary EVER! ( 
CLICK)
Latin miser, which means “wretched”, the prefix com-, meaning “with”, and the suffix –ate are the building blocks of commiserate.
✍️ When you say, “I commiserate with you,” it’s like saying “I am wretched together with you—I share your misery.”
The noun form? Commiseration.
Miser and miserly (look up these two in a dictionary), miserable and misery all have the same origin.
Not the most uplifting words to wrap up this post, I know.
I wish life was all ha ha hee hee. But … it isn’t.
Still, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Hope you like this mini-vocab lesson!
Talk to you soon!
Jelena