“No man is an island” wrote the poet, John Donne. Isolation may beckon, at times, but we do well to ignore it. Worn by strife, even the valiant David wished for the wings of a dove and a hidingplace in the wilderness. Ever felt like that? Ever wanted to just Getawaaay?
The difference between solitary and lonely is sometimes hard to distinguish. Those who beg for time out and privacy may wish no-one had listened when the clock fails to rewind and former friends are long gone. We may need personal space, but we also need one another.
A group who thought they had found Utopia were a band of Sidonians who came across a pretty, isolated valley – far from their own country. There they built a town, called it Laish, and settled down to some quiet living. (Utopia means Nowhere, but most isolationists don’t know that.)
Meanwhile, the tribe of Dan, discontented with their lot in life, decided to migrate north. They sent out five spies, who soon found Laish – pretty, quiet, and isolated. Distanced from their coastal homeland, and having nothing to with others living nearby, the occupants of Laish were vulnerable – their complacency making them easy prey to Dan, one of Israel’s most warlike tribes.
The spies promptly returned with an army of tribal warriors who killed the town’s occupants, burned it down, and built the town of Dan on the site.
“There was no-one to help them, because Laish was far from Sidon, and its people had no ties with anyone.” (Judges 18:28) “They dwelt carelessly.” (Judges 18:7)
Being in the mainstream of life is bound to bring stress from time to time, but we need to stay connected – the illusion of a place called Nowhere is a poor excuse for pulling the plug on real life.
“Where there is no vision, the people dwell carelessly…” (Proverbs 28:19)