a philosopher, teacher, spiritual man, writer, lecturer, and a Christian.
I was lucky enough to have stayed in contact with him to watch learn he was doing. Reading his books influenced me to no small degree. Thus, I realized that something was changing inside of me, and that I wanted to do the same thing as he was doing. That would be my life in the future.
However, years later, when I become a doctor and researcher, I became more influenced by the writings of great men such as C. G. Jung, Lao Tseu, Khalil Gibran, Rudolph Steiner, and Theodore Monod, a good friend of Dr Schweitzer, a scientist who was searching for God. He was a true Christian as he called himself, a man of peace, always against war and the atomic bomb. Of course, I have also been much impregnated by the life of Dr Schweitzer, also an ardent opponent of nuclear weapons, and for that he received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1953.
Thus, little by little, I went though a spiritual metamorphosis. I started to divide my life between scientific research, with a busy clinical practice, but also teaching my patients the values of spirituality, about life experiences, and about how they should change, how they should balance their own life, and live closer to nature and to God.
But we must also remember that nature is a gift of God, it is all around us and we must co-exists with it. We must respect it, safe guard it. Today both nature and the environment are mistreated, they are being considerably destroyed, exploited, and polluted. Marine life is in great peril, vegetation and forests are dangerously is diminishing. And what are we doing about it? Are we doing enough? Most certainly not.
For the past 56 years, I have been trying to accomplished my mission in treating people who were fighting for their lives. This was not an easy task! It weighs so heavily on you. Being a doctor does not mean that you are just treating a disease. You must try to heal the patient himself, his body, his soul. Dr Schweitzer showed us that being a good doctor is firmly rooted in being a good human being as well.
It is said that if you save one life you save the whole planet. Is that true or not? Well, if we all try to save one life, then we will truly save our planet! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all saved one tree, one animal, one human being?
I therefore believe that we all have something to contribute to society in general, to nature and to our universe. We must not and we cannot expect others to do what we think should be done. We must start by doing something ourselves. One candle will not kill the darkness, but hundreds, thousands of candles with show us the light.
The last hundred years have brought much development but also much deterioration. Let us all try to advocate peace and not war, the right for a healthy life, human rights, freedom of expression, human medicine, less violence, less destruction, more education about life, less poverty in our planet, and in so called civilized countries. As Mother Theresa said
“If I alone do one good deed today, the world is already a better place!” What’s keeping us from making the world a better place?
Let us all imitate such role models as we have mentioned today. Thus, I would like to finish with the words of Albert Einstein about Dr. Schweitzer, “In this sad world which is ours, here is a great man!”
Thank you very much for your patience, and God bless you all. I shall forever treasure this Albert Schweitzer Award with great Pride, but also with much Humility.
And, I can say it makes me feel truly fulfilled.