Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Derrick Porter each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. This week is No. 5,058 of the broadcast.
Please note: Reservations are needed to attend “Music & the Spoken Word” in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Find out more about how to make reservations here.
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” (See “Devotions upon Emergent Occasions; Together with Death’s Duel,” by John Donne, published in 1959, p. 108, gutenberg.org.)
Those words, written more than 400 years ago by John Donne, are as true today as they have ever been.
Each of us — every human being — matters so very much in this world. The influence of “you” or “me” as an individual is great, even beyond our ability to comprehend. Often, when we look at our lives, we do just that — we look at our lives through our own lenses and experiences. But if we could take a step back — maybe even a hundred steps back — we would begin to see just how deeply our lives actually influence the lives of others.
The power that lies within a person is propelled by personal choice. In each of our lives, there are times when major decisions need to be made — decisions that have consequences, for good or bad, for decades or even generations to come. But more often, we make seemingly small everyday choices — underlying choices, if you will, that hold great and at times unappreciated potential for true and lasting impact.
An executive recently shared the underlying choices in his life. He asked: “Will I choose faith and trust, or control and security? Will I focus on what I can give, or only on what I can gain? Will I view my role as one of stewardship or ownership? Do I serve others or do I take advantage of them? Am I dedicating my time to what matters most, or simply seeking to maximize profit?”
Whatever our situation in life may be, our underlying decisions become directional. They determine whether we live as an island unto ourselves or as a contributing part of the main.
The world, at times, can cause us to feel as if we’re disconnected on a far away remote island feeling that no one understands and that we must look out only for ourselves. But this is false. We are connected to one another. We each have the power to choose, the power to serve, the power to influence. As John Donne reminded us, “No man is an island. [Each of us] is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
Tuning in …
The “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL News Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirecTV, SiriusXM (Ch. 143), tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoir and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time on these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedules.
