Sponsored by World Foundation on Reverence for All Life

I stand here today in awe of this august body, but it seems fitting because I stand in the shadow of Dr. Albert Schweitzer and I believe that he would be pleased that I can share these few minutes with you to talk about his philosopy of Reverence for Life.

Dr. Schweitzer received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. He was a missionary doctor, an educator, environmentalist, a religious scholar, a philosopher, a world authority on the life and music of Bach....and yet he said, "When you portray me, it should not be merely as the doctor who ministers to the sick. It is my philosophy of Reverence for Life that I consider my primary contribution to the world."

Before we share Dr. Schweitzer's philosophy I want to read two messages I have brought from America: from Rhena Schweitzer Miller, Dr. Schweitzer's daughter and Arun Gandhi, Founder Director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

Schweitzer and Gandhi, two of the most renowned men of the twentieth century, though they never met, admired each other profoundly. In 1995 at a dinner before the premiere of Tennessee Players' dramatization, "Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach," their descendants, Rhena Schweitzer Miller and Arun Gandhi, came together for the first time.

Now, here is Rhena Schweitzer Miller's message:

"In our world of today where life has become so expendable, this International Conference on Universal Harmony Through Reverence for All Life is of the utmost importance. My father has said that Reverence for Life comprises the whole ethic of love in its deepest and highest sense. He said, 'It is a source of constant renewal for the individual and for mankind.' In this spirit I send my best wishes to this conference and to all its participants."

Arun Gandhi writes:

"Never in the history of man has peace become more urgent than it is today. In a sense history has come round in a full circle. There were religious wars thousands of years ago and we are beginning to see religious wars consume us once again. Unless we nip this monster in the bud the wars and killings in the name of God will destroy our collective humanity. With each succeeding generation violence has become more and more senseless and gruesome. Peace in the real sense has to begin from within and grow outwards. For peace to find roots within the individual there has to be a willingness in the individual; an honest appraisal of the violence within our hearts; an acknowledgement of the need for change and a willingness to become the change we wish to see in the world. I hope the deliberations at this conference will lead to a better understanding of true peace that can only be achieved through the practice of nonviolence."

In a speech, August 15th, of this year, on the anniversary of India's Independence, His Excellency, the Honorable President of India, said, "Non-violence, tolerance, acceptance of all religious and different ways of life, search for truth and fearlessness are the values the Mahatma taught us and they are the cornerstone of our civilizational heritage and therefore, of Indian policy."

Everyone agrees that we live in perilous times but all do not agree on how we can end this path to destruction and what it will take for all of us to become brothers and sisters who share the earth as it was given to us.

Stewart Udall, Secretary of the Interior of the United States in the 1960s, said, "The most common trait of all primitive peoples is a reverence for the lifegiving earth, and the native American shared this elemental ethic: the land was alive to his loving touch, and he, its son, was brother to all creatures."

I believe that it is more important than ever that a resurgence of Dr. Schweitzer's philosophy should spread out to all the nations on earth. There is no doubt in my mind that if all humankind--young and old--the poets, the artists, the musicians, the scientists, the diplomats, the educators would all practice Reverence for Life and truly believe the consequences of its meaning that we could have a world of peace for our children and for all generations to follow.

And it is most important that all faiths and all religions practice Reverence for Life. Dr. Schweitzer believed that any religion or philosophy which is not based on a respect for life is not a true religion or philosophy.

How did Dr. Schweitzer come upon his concept of Reverence for Life, the principle that became the basis of his existence for half a century until he died?

On Good Friday, 1913, Dr. Schweitzer and his wife embarked on their first trip to Africa to set up a missionary hospital. Before he even had time to unpack his drugs and his instruments, he was beseiged by sick people. That hospital in Lambarene, Gabon, Africa, still exists today.

When World War I broke out, Dr. Schweitzer and his wife were considered prisoners of war, and he was forbidden to work in his hospital. He thought about taking that time for the completion of his book on St. Paul. But thoughts he had for a long time on the problem of civilization forced themselves upon him. So on the second day of his internment, as war was raging and threatening the downfall of civilization, he set to work on his book, Philosophy of Civilization.

He realized that the only possible way out of chaos is for us to come once more under the control of the ideals of true civilization through the adoption of an attitude toward life that contains these ideals. He recognized the fact that the central providence of philosophy, into which meditation on civilization and attitude toward the world had led him, was practically unexplored land.

While in that mental state, Dr. Schweitzer had to take a 200 kilometer steamboat journey on the Ogowe River. He sat each day on the deck of the barge struggling to find the elementary and universal conception of the ethical which he had not discovered in any philosophy. Late on the third day, at sunset, as the barge made its way through a large herd of hippopotamusses, there flashed upon his mind, unforseen and unsought, the phrase, Reverence for Life.

Dr. Schweitzer later wrote, "The iron door had yielded; the path in the thicket had become visible. Now I had found my way to the idea in which affirmation of the world and ethics are contained side by side."

Isn't Dr. Schweitzer's search for the ideals of true civilization the same as that of the World Foundation on Reverence for All Life? The Foundation firmly believes that each person and each society must start seeing itself as an indivisible and inseparable part of the total existence, that this wisdom must dawn upon each one of us that, in welfare and material survival of all lies the secret of everyone's welfare and survival. The Foundation believes that this wisdom will initiate an era of new understanding of life and redeem humanity from its pain and suffering. The most ancient verdict of the sages of India confirm this: "All creation is one family and all life is sacred."

Dr. Schweitzer's philosophy could well be a line taken from India's Constitution, which states that it shall be the fundamental duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.

Dr. Schweitzer said, "By going out of our way to help any living creature in distress we are helping to discharge a debt-- a debt of honor--which we owe to the rest of creation for its vicarious sacrifice to our needs. It is after all the only sane and reasonable course we can adopt."

I believe that if every individual on this planet could hear what is said during this conference we would be on the path to peace. I believe that the hope of the world lies within ourselves, each one of us. This is a time in history when we have to make grave decisions on our own, and not just be a follower without thinking, without understanding the truth.

Dr. Schweitzer said, "Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now."

By the time I speak my last words here today how many people will be tortured, raped and killed? We must listen to the words of Dr. Schweitzer--and other great philosophers throughout history--whose words can lead us out of the darkness that enshrouds us....if only we would listen.

I ask that each of you take back with you a commitment to reaffirm your dedication that our planet is too beautiful to destroy. Listen with your heart to children everywhere who have no chance to see the fulfillment of their dreams. Unless each of us do our share now, this may be the last opportunity we have for making childhood dreams come true. Children and all mankind must come to know that the golden light of peace is beautiful.

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