Analysis: No Man Is An Island By John Donne

Since the beginning of times, man has had the need to find instruments that help him find direction. Initially, the study of astronomy helped sailors find their way through the sea. In the IXX century, a revolutionary invention gave man a mechanical tool that could allow them to do this in a more accurate manner: The compass, a device that uses a magnetized needle to point towards the geographic north, providing orientation than can help decide which direction to follow. In our everyday life, we have to make decisions that imply a more complex dimension than geographic orientation: We have to decide between the abstract paths of right and wrong. Even though we don’t have a tangible device that can help us make this type of decision, there

This tradition ignited my love for books and the stories had moral lessons that stay with me through my adult life. Later on, as a teenager, I came upon a poem called “No man is an island”, by John Donne. This poem made a significant impression on my character. The idea that We as humans, no matter how independent or individualistic, are part of humanity as a whole and thus share an unbreakable bond, was an overwhelming concept for me. It helped me understand how everything I do affects others, and how in turn others suffering and victories are in a small sense part of me. It created a deeper sense of empathy that I believe directs the moral vision that I have

But then I got a call from a bank, it was a new bank from Nicaragua that was opening a new branch in the Dominican Republic and they wanted me to come in for an interview. I was ecstatic. I went to the bank and waited to be called. I met a tall woman who explained that the position was Vice-president of Corporate Business. I could not believe myself, at 21, freshly graduated, I had an interview to be a Vice-president. She got my resume out of a folder, it came with one of my father’s friend’s business cards stapled to the right corner. My heart sank. She barely asked me about my professional skills and was more interested in how I was related to this person who was an important figure in Nicaragua. And then she offered me the position. There I was, a big opportunity that I truly wanted but that I knew in my heart I did not yet deserve. I felt that I could not be proud of a job obtained without merit and that by accepting the position I would be robbing someone with the adequate qualifications of this opportunity. On the other hand, I was worried about what my father’s friend would think. Additionally, I was eager to proof myself that I was a capable professional. In the end, my dilemma was not about my potential but the means through which I would get the job. I respectfully said that I thought I was