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Albert Schweitzer: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters)

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"A man's life should be the same as his thought. I have made my life my argument." - Albert Schweitzer

This quotation is absolutely fundamental to understanding how Dr. Schweitzer theorized, postulated, and deduced the meaning of life and formulated his famous `Reverence for Life' concept. More than that, it reveals how he practiced and applied these philosophies to his own life. After exhausting one academic tome after another, Dr. Schweitzer slowly came to the conclusion that mysteries of the world cannot be merely intellectually reasoned and rationalized. The book `Essential Writings' is a compilation of Dr. Schweitzer's most critical and illuminating thoughts concerning not only his passionate methods but how he arrived at the groundbreaking conclusions which made him such a well respected scholar and beloved humanitarian.

`Essential Writings' is divided into 4 sections which reflect Dr. Schweitzer's most vital postulations. The subject of the first part is no less than `Jesus and the Kingdom of God.' These writings examine and attempt to clarify many of the false interpretations of Jesus' teachings. He raises questions such as `Why did Jesus keep his messiah-hood a secret?' and `If one psychologically examined Jesus would they find any evidence of mental illness?` Using logic as his base, Dr. Schweitzer respectfully proves that the `spirit of Jesus' is more important than even the actual historical figure. "Historical truth not only creates difficulties for faith; it also enriches it, by compelling it to examine the importance of the work of the Spirit of Jesus for its growth and continuance." He views faith as an ever-evolving force that works within and transforms people. This notion bridges into the next chapter `The Inner Schweitzer.' In this section the reader discovers Dr Schweitzer's insecurities, his lack of enthusiasm and a certain disillusionment with respect to his sermons. Many of these musings are in letter form to his wife Helene; though others are sermons he gave to an audience. Despite these angry or depressed sentiments, Dr. Schweitzer's words reveal to us that he is in fact a human being subjected to many of the same doubts and fears we all face in our lives. It spells out for his readers that no one is perfect and these counterproductive thoughts and feelings can weigh the best of us down, however everyone has such great potential inside them if they have the wisdom to cultivate it.

The second section of this book concerns itself with `Music and Its Meaning.' Dr. Schweitzer outlines his first experiences and reactions to hearing the classical composers, Beethoven, Bach, and Wagner. Not only was he spellbound by the notes, but also by the musicians and their execution of those masterful compositions. Schweitzer was absolutely fascinated by Bach and studied his life along with his music. Yet one of the aspects of Bach which impressed him the most was his piety. "Music is an act of worship with Bach. His artistic activity and his personality are both based on his piety. For him, art was religion and so had no concern with the world or with worldly success. It was an end in itself." Dr. Schweitzer finds a kindred mystic spirit with Bach which is probably why he is compelled to understand him. In doing so, he may have unlocked a secret within himself.

The third part is an account of Dr. Schweitzer's journey to Africa as well as his reasons for going. He made a huge leap of faith by leaving the academic world behind and entering into the cultural and biological unknown. However, he made it clear that he thought it was important to continuously attempt to "be human, plainly human in the sense in which Jesus was." Dr. Schweitzer is horrified at how Western culture has classified societies into `civilized' and `other.' These categories in turn dictate how the `civilized' treat the `other' without respect or dignity. He defended his missionary work by stating, "True religion is also humanitarianism" and "missionary work is simply an atonement for the crimes of violence done in the name of Christian nations." He makes an excellent point here and is not afraid to admit the injustices and brutality which have been committed in the name of Christianity. Dr. Schweitzer, realizing this, decided to actually go and do something to right these wrongs that he himself did not commit. Not merely in the name of Christianity, but rather in the name of humanitarian efforts. He is once again living his philosophy rather than just preaching it. According to his writings, Dr. Schweitzer treated close to 2,000 patients in his first 9 months encountering all kinds of diseases both native to Africa and many which were transported from Europe. Despite these `good works' Dr. Schweitzer also dealt with disenchantment: "those who now speak savagely about the natives may have come out to Africa full of idealism but in the daily contest have become weary and hopeless, losing little by little what they once possessed of spirituality."

Yet it is there in Africa where Dr. Schweitzer's central philosophy is born. While taking a journey with his wife on a river to visit his friend Madame Pelot, Dr. Schweitzer writes, "Lost in thought I sat on the deck of the barge struggling to find the elementary and universal conception of the ethical which I have not discovered in any philosophy. Late on the third day, at the very moment when, at sunset, we were making our way through a herd of hippopotamuses, there flashed upon my mind, unforeseen and unsought, the phrase, `Reverence for Life.' The iron door had yielded: the path in the thicket had become visible." The remainder of the book takes the reader into a detailed look at what this philosophy implies and entails. Dr. Schweitzer explains how he had been unknowingly searching for this concept even during his early childhood on through to his academic pursuits. This man's understanding of ethics brought about a new vision concerning each person's responsibility to their fellow creature. Although it is necessary to go beyond this text and read "Reverence for Life" in its entirety, this book gives us a powerful taste of that sweet and pure philosophy.

`Essential Writings' is exactly as its title implies. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a solid introduction to Dr. Albert Schweitzer and his most relevant philosophical and passionate pursuits. James Brazabon, the book's editor, has a good grasp on many of Dr. Schweitzer motives and prefaces each chapter with `down to earth' contextual explanations. This compilation serves as a valuable reference book in which one may find poignant, pertinent and even juicy quotations for deeper contemplation concerning our ethics and how we live out our own thoughts and beliefs through our actions.

Albert Schweitzer was man who led an amazing, multifaceted life. Definitely worth reading and a man worthy of emulation.