Albert Schweitzer – Invitation to Peace
The astonishing development of science and technology has led to material prosperity in every aspect of human life. Unfortunately, this progress has also been accompanied by the development of warfare to unimaginable scales. The arms race between the leading world powers has resulted in the total amount of nuclear weapons becoming multiple times sufficient to destroy all life on Earth. Therefore, Albert Schweitzer’s call to the world to recognize the true state of affairs, which he made when accepting the Nobel Peace Prize back in 1954, is more relevant than ever.
Although seventy years have passed since the end of World War II and the activation of the first nuclear bomb, the danger of a new global conflict and the possibility of nuclear weapons being used persist. There is no doubt that in a potential future war, much more powerful means of destruction would be employed than in previous wars. The destructive power of nuclear weapons, the consequences of their radiation, and the enormous number of human casualties would be unprecedented. It is crucial for the world to heed Schweitzer’s call for peace and take decisive action to prevent such a catastrophic scenario from unfolding. summoning a reevaluation of conscience from each of us. Through numerous calls, Albert Schweitzer alerted the public to the dangers of nuclear testing and weaons, pointing out their unpredictable consequences for the world, in an effort to awaken humanity in every person. He believed that peace could only be achieved through the moral rejection of war, as war turns a person into an inhuman being. Whether peace will be achieved or not depends on the development of individuals’ mentalities, as well as those of their nations. The rebuilding of a nation must be a rebuilding of the heart – a change within a person.
From his speech, we highlight the following:
… In our time, the evil of war has been clearly seen, and it is our task to prevent it. We must do this especially for ethical reasons. In both world wars, we were guilty of committing atrocities. This must not be repeated. We must be brave enough to see things as they are. Man has become superhuman due to his scientific and technological achievements, knowledge, and skills. Not only did he dominate with the physical strength of his body, but also with the forces of nature.
We must not underestimate the power of the spirit. It is the one that drives the course of human history. It is from it that the humanistic stance arises, on which every progress towards a higher form of human existence is based. Through this humanistic stance, we are true to ourselves, we are capable of creativity. With a non-humanistic stance, we are not authentic and easily become victims of error.
The spirit is not dead, it still lives, but hidden. It has realized that human nature shapes the world. In that realization lies its power. Compassion as the foundation of ethics has true depth and breadth only when it extends to all living beings, not just humans.
…Once again, I dare to appeal to the entire human being, to his capacity for thinking and feeling, urging him to know himself and be true to himself… In the name of all those who have dedicated themselves to the protection of peace, we plead with people to take the first step on this new path. No one should underestimate their own abilities. It will not lose any power or meaning. If this is the path or the beginning of removing the cruelty of war, trust will start to be built among nations.
Albert Schweitzer was born in 1875 in Kaysersberg, a place in the Alsace region of France, into a family of Protestant priests. As a boy, he showed talent for music, and after completing high school, he enrolled in a piano and organ studies program in Paris. He was one of the greatest organists and one of the best connoisseurs of Bach’s work. In 1893, he started studying philosophy and theology at the University of Strasbourg. He studied the history of religion, particularly Christianity, and from 1902 to 1912, he was a lecturer at the Theological Faculty in Strasbourg.
His life was changed by an article in the magazine of the Evangelical Mission Society, which called for missionaries, doctors, and teachers willing to provide assistance in the Congo. Schweitzer then decided to devote himself to healing and helping, as he believed “that those who are spared suffering have a duty to alleviate pain.” Open your eyes and look around to see if someone needs your time or encouragement. It could be a lonely, sick, or helpless person. It could be an elderly person or a child. Don’t miss the opportunity to give to people.”
That’s why Schweitzer enrolled in medical school and, after graduating in 1913, he went to Lambarene, a village near the equator in Africa, where there wasn’t a single doctor within a five-hundred-kilometer radius. He founded a settlement and hospital where he worked and helped until his death at the age of 90. He became a true example of a person who was able to turn ideas into real actions in the most beautiful way. The hospital he founded in Lambarene still operates today.