A Part of the Whole

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,”
a part limited in time and space.

Man experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings,
As something separated from the rest –
a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us,
Restricting us to our personal desires
and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison
By widening our circle of compassion to embrace
all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Nobody is able to achieve this completely,
but striving for such achievement is in itself
a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.

--Albert Einstein


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...
any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind...

--John Donne