Its Process and Practice in the Modern World.

In my investigation of how his philosophy of the reverence for life could be applied to the modern world I entertained many grand themes and topics such as global warming, war and peace, even the current economic crisis. However, I soon realised that when Schweitzer’s theory becomes separated from the individual is starts to lose is meaning and its effectiveness. I understood that the role of the reverence for life still begins with the individual and decided to set out distinct stages for personal transformation within his philosophy. I hope by detailing my personal views on how his philosophy can be systematised to encourage practice that this format may lend to modern demands for firm direction and instruction.

(Editor’s note: This piece, under the title of “Schweitzer’s Legacy: A UK Perspective”, was originally written for the American edition of Walter Munz’s book “The heart of a Gazelle and the skin of a Hippopotamus”, which is to be published shortly in the USA.)

Albert Schweitzer’s legacy to mankind can be seen as having three aspects:

1. His example of a person who took stock of his life as a young man and made a decision to give up a promising academic career and take up a life of active service to Africa and to humanity.

2. The legacy of leaving his mark on two places, the hospital at Lambarene and the Schweitzer House at Gunsbach, both of which bear physical witness to his life’s work.

3. His written work and especially his ethical philosophy of Reverence for Life, which at the end of his life he himself regarded as the most important of these three.

It is to this third aspect of his legacy that we in the UK have directed our main focus in recent years.

THE PLACE OF ETHICS IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE. Editor?s note: The context of this conversation is fully explained in the text. It marked the beginning of Percy Mark?s sustained effort to explore and give expression to his attempt to seriously engage with the challenges of our time and to ?nd the root-causes which work towards a change of direction.

18.01.2008. It was mid-January. My wife Vreni and I were spending a few weeks in the Bernese Oberland, in the small town of Zweisimmen, where Vreni?s brother and sister live. Skiing conditions were good and Vreni?s brother, Klaus, having just retired from being a sixth-form teacher, had the time to accompany me on the slopes. At the age of 72 I was no longer the fastest skier on the pistes, nor was I interested in any black runs, but skiing is still my most favourite sport. Klaus, aged 65, was much ?tter and faster than I, but ambition for speed and daring were no longer his main concerns either. So we had a good time together enjoying the ?oating feeling of gliding gently through the powder snow and perfecting our style in making turns with the minimum of effort.

Spring 2005: In keeping with our aim to support projects inspired by the ethics of Reverence for Life, the FoAS (UK) has transformed a vacant plot into a garden paradise for the children of Wrestlingworth Lower School in Bedfordshire.

The project was part of the Universal Children's Garden Scheme sponsored by UNESCO, whose first garden was the Albert Schweitzer Children's Garden in Barrington USA. We enlisted the help of Friends of Wrestlingworth School, the children of Wrestlingworth, as well as their parents and members of the community. Visit our photo gallery to view the pictures from this event.