A Reverence for Life

How often in life does the prosaic both mimic and presage the

spiritual?

With what frequency does the corporeal give rise to the intellectual?

Well, at least once for Albert Schweitzer.

In our last blog we detailed the arduous intellectual journey Dr.

Schweitzer set before himself; namely, the quest for an elemental

ethical theory that was of ethereal spiritual origin but of more

mundane terrestrial application.

A difficult journey indeed, but as you will see, of no more complexity

and difficulty than his own physical voyage from Europe to his

hospital mission in Lambarene in what was then French Equatorial

Africa.

In the next blog we’ll chronicle his arrival at journey’s end, literally and

figuratively, but in this writing let me give you a sense of the ordeals

he faced simply making that seaborne voyage.

Initially Dr. Schweitzer would disembark from Europe, often the port of

Le Havre, sailing on a ship(s) bound for west Africa. As this country

(French Equatorial Africa) was a French colony at the time, he was

fortunate in that there was often a direct sailing to the Atlantic Ocean

anchorage of Port-Gentil.

Thence he would board a steamer or packet boat wending its way up

the meandering Ogooue River towards the mission at Lambarene. The

boat normally travelled only in daylight, turning the river voyage into a

trek that could last 1-2 weeks, as you will see, thereby affording Dr.

Schweitzer ample time and opportunity to engage in deep

contemplation and ratiocination.

Depending upon river conditions a switch to smaller river transports

might be necessary, such as the one shown in the photo, or even to a

less commodious one-person shell.

Occasionally an overland trip to arrive finally at the inland station was

needed, but through the entire hardship Schweitzer’s mind kept

working and recording:

“River and forest….! Who can really describe the first impression they

make? We seemed to be dreaming….It is impossible to say where the

river ends and the land begins….in every gap in the forest a water

mirror meets the eye; at every end in the river a new tributary shows

itself…”

Next time we’ll see how this otherworldly experience helped create

his renowned philosophy.

Bob Echols

We hold a currency of consciousness that all of creation is connected as one. We commit to a renewed reverence for life and respect for the interdependent web of all existence.