“Man is an Island. And its name is Loneliness. Around it is a sea of raging passions. And the waves that beat against its shores, are not they taking away a part of its outer fringe, thereby reducing its very borders? Do not storm winds of gigantic force break the crowns of trees whereon the Bird of Happiness could build its nest? And is not the “flesh” of the island, already withered by the heat, wounded by sharp-edged rocks? Further, the hidden treasures — are not they the eternal target of robbers who live at the expense of their spoils? The island itself is mute, and therefore cannot emit a cry for help, or seal a message in a bottle and consign it to the will of the waves. And there is no cozy haven to attract the gaze of passing ships. Here amidst the stormy waves of life, it is not the island that chooses. Rather, it is chosen by those who wish to set their feet on dry land. Of course, every island dreams of one day seeing Scarlet Sails on the horizon, borne by all the winds directly to its shores. And at the helm will be none other than the one who intended to visit this island in particular. But people often end up on the island as the result of a shipwreck, carried on pieces of wreckage as a “gift” from the sea-waves of life. And while it will accept this unexpected offering of destiny, the Bird of Happiness will not sing its song for them, for it knows that those whom the island rescues will always strive to leave it, using every excuse to press on to other shores. And this will only exacerbate the island’s loneliness, compelling a more vigilant search of the distant horizon in anticipation of beholding a glimpse of the fabled Scarlet Sails.” ~Zinovia Dushkova
Man is an Island
It is debatable whether or not Man can be considered an island. Anyone spiritual knows that all beings are connected together, and that includes man. Even science, in the field of quantum physics, recognizes that things are connected together in ways we don’t yet understand. But I think what Dushkova is saying with his claim that man is an island is that man makes himself an island by treating himself as different from and separate from nature and other beings. We are islands by our own choices, not by our nature.
Man is an Island of Loneliness
Much like the man is an island statement, I think that the loneliness part is exaggerated in the quote also. Not that it isn’t true, at least some of the time, but it isn’t true for everyone all of the time. The point of this claim is that our loneliness is unnecessary. We feel lonely because we are detached from other people and being, or think we are. In fact, we are always connected even if we ignore those connections.
Those of us in Cosolargy wear a sacred thread to remind us that those connections exist. Everyone can do something similar as a reminder. Man is an island only when he refuses to acknowledge and use those connections.
Island Guests
Dushkova says that the island wants visitors, but only those who come their intentionally rather than arriving there because of a shipwreck. Those who come intentionally want to be there. Those who landed on the island because of a shipwreck only want to leave. I interpret this as meaning that humans, as the islands we are talking about, want friends, but only friends who choose to be friends freely, and not because circumstances force them to be with you.
While this makes sense, it is also a material point-of-view. From a spiritual perspective, no man is an island, we are all one, therefore all equal, with a few exceptions. We should welcome anyone who recognizes the connections between us unless they want to be friends only to use us or steal our energy. Those spiritual energy vampires should be avoided, at least until they can be reformed. The majority of them do not steal other’s energy intentionally. They are not even aware they are doing it. Training by a good spiritual guru or spiritual school can help most of them. But then, good spiritual training can help all of us grow and become part of the One because it should never be true that man is an island.
