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Reverence for Life — Albert Schweitzer
“Do something wonderful with your life,” said Albert Schweitzer. “People may imitate you ! ” Dr. Schweitzer lived out those words, using his life to help untold thousands of people and to set an example that still inspires the world today.
Early Life and Musical Talents
As a child in the late 1800s, Albert Schweitzer showed an incredible talent for music. By the time he was a young man, he was not only giving popular concerts on the pipe organ, but he had also become an acknowledged world expert on building organs, interpreting classical music, and making musical recordings.
He made a very good living with his music, but Schweitzer was also a deep thinker when it came to religion and living a good, worthwhile life. He wrote influential books about Jesus Christ and Christian philosophy, and he decided that when he turned thirty years old, he would give up his career and devote the rest of his life to helping other people.
A Life-Changing Decision
As planned, he quit working at age thirty and went back to school. His family and friends thought he was crazy, but Schweitzer had decided to become a doctor. He figured that was the best route to being able to help others in need.
After getting his medical degree, Dr. Schweitzer raised enough money by playing more concerts to set off for the poor African country of Gabon, where there was a critical shortage of medical care. He and his wife traveled more than 300 kilometers up the Ogooué River and set up a makeshift hospital.
The Birth of a Medical Miracle
People came from hundreds of kilometers around to Dr. Schweitzer’s little one-room medical miracle—the only hospital and doctor that most of them had ever seen. He and his wife, Helene, worked themselves to exhaustion. They were forced to stop when World War I broke out when, as Germans working in French territory, they were taken prisoner.
Resilience and Dedication
After the war, Dr. Schweitzer went back to Gabon, re-built the abandoned hospital, and resumed his free medical care for anyone who needed it. For another forty years, until his death in 1963, he spent most of his time in Gabon. He spent the rest of his time traveling the world, raising money and encouraging other people to follow his example.
A Legacy of Reverence for Life
Albert Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952—not just for his hospital work, but also for his personal philosophy—”Reverence for Life”—that encouraged everyone to respect others and recognize their right to life.