Familiar words of yesteryear ring ever loud and clear today

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” is arguably Ernest Hemingway’s greatest novel, although the title of the 1940 book about the travails of an American munitions expert during the Spanish Civil War actually dates to 17th century England.

The phrase, according to literary historians, was coined by English writer John Donne in 1624 and is part of the sentence, “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.”

Here endeth the literary lesson for the day.

But not quite.

In fact, we also could use a refresher course in history, especially at a time when technology has promoted a sense of interconnectedness and has brought the world to virtually everyone’s doorstep.

Donne’s words have been given modern-day meaning in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the corresponding tragic loss of life that reverberates around the globe and is echoed at each mass shooting.

The writings of Donne also contained what would become another famous phrase, “no man is an island,” serving as a reminder that no one is separate from this metaphorical “continent” that connects all of humanity.

It dovetails neatly with the concept of “six degrees of separation,” a curious phenomenon built upon the premise that “all people on average are six, or fewer, social connections away from each other.”

Little more than a century ago, the “war to end all wars” came to a merciful end at a cost of 18 million lives, spawning a League of Nations created in the hope of preventing future worldwide conflicts.

Some two decades later, a second world war broke out, lasting six years and claiming tens of millions of casualties. In its aftermath, the United Nations was formed, ostensibly to prevent history from repeating itself yet again.

All this means that we – no matter our race, origin, or cultural background – have a stake in the world’s future and should feel a sense of responsibility to be good stewards of a civilized society.

A collective desire for peace and goodwill is at the root of the Primerus Foundation, which we hope will become a powerful force to promote the fundamental concepts of freedom, liberty, justice, and equal opportunity for all.

While still in its planning stages, the foundation already has a framework in place and is designed to support people and programs that promote positive change in society.

Change, of course, can be a term subject to interpretation depending on one’s political point of view, which is why it becomes critically important that democracies around the world are preserved and protected. Nations need laws that guarantee elected officials are representing the collective voice of the voters, not the select wishes of an elite few or a fringe minority with a political axe to grind.

Otherwise, the funeral bell that tolls for democracy’s death also portends what figures to be history’s darkest chapter yet, an ending that we need to do everything in our power to prevent.

Best regards,
Jack Buchanan, President