Albert Schweitzer
Posted on June 30th at 10:06 am
At the age of 30, Albert Schweitzer was already a world renowned theologian, author, and musician.
He had published his Ph. D. dissertation called “The Religious Philosophy of Kant.” He had mastered the organ, devotedly following the compositions of Wagner and Bach, and he was just beginning to seriously study the piano. But, at the age of 30, Albert Schweitzer made a different investment with his life.
The Society of the Evangelists Missions of Paris was looking for a medical doctor, so he answered the call. While they eventually passed on him, the whole experience spurred his interest in medicine, and he immediately entered a seven-year medical school program. Upon completion, he proposed to work at his own expense at the Paris Missionary Society’s mission in Lambarene, a village in what is now the African country of Gabon. He performed concerts and recitals to raise funds for the trip and to accomplish his one goal: To establish a hospital.
Albert spent the rest of his life making the Albert Schweitzer Hospital better.
He lectured around the world. He worked with Einstein in opposition of nuclear weapons. He was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952.
But his legacy continues to endure in that hospital as well as in the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, founded in 1940, which helps young Americans in health-related fields create their own Lambarene.
A week before Albert passed away, he wrote an article that included the following quote: “Therefore search and see if there is not some place where you may invest your humanity.”
His was an investment in a life of uncompromising commitment.