The ethics of Albert Schweitzer in the action of Nouvelle Planète
I / Biography (1875- 1965)
Albert Schweitzer's life can be divided in two main periods. The first goes from 1875 to 1913. The second from 1913 to his death in 1965.
Albert Schweitzer was born in 1875 and grew up in Alsace which was under German influence before the war. His father was a minister and the whole family was religious. As a kid, Albert was already interested by the oppressed, the beaten animals, people who were made fun of. He enjoyed thinking, and interested himself in the human being.
After high school, Schweitzer enters university and excels in philosophy and theology studies. He likes thinking and developing his humanist thought, but he cannot stand staying inactive. He must make himself useful in a concrete matter by helping others.
In 1905, feeling more and more concerned by the misfortunate, those persecuted and the humbles, Schweitzer wants to become a man of intervention against misfortune and suffering. Thus, he starts studies in medicine.
In 1913, with a diploma in his pocket, Albert Schweitzer boards a ship that will take him to Gabon. He will make several trips there and build his hospital on an island in Lambarénée.
Schweitzer is passionate by the organ and the music of Jean Sébastien Bach. When he returns to Europe, he gives speeches and performs in order to raise funds. In 1952, he receives the Nobel Price for Peace for his lifetime work and his political activism against nuclear weapons. Albert Schweitzer dies 4 September 1965 at age 90.
II/ The thought of Albert Schweitzer
The construction of the hospital in Lambarénée in 1913 is the concrete expression of the intellectual work of Dr. Schweitzer. He developed his thought during his several trips and stays in Africa. One sentence can sum up all his thought: "I am life that wants to live together with life that wants to live".
For Albert Schweitzer, what fuels progress is the capacity of man to respect life. In his vision, what maintains or favours life is good, and what ruins life is negative.
His philosophy of "Reverence for Life" is still current. It is unique because timeless.
However, it is impossible to maintain life on one side without destroying it on another side. But for Schweitzer, this does not give man the right to simply consume and destroy. Man has the power of creation therefore he has the responsibility to protect it.
The ethics of Albert Schweitzer is mobilising and gives man a sense of responsibility, which induces a dynamic process. To use or transform nature is to protect it in an active and dynamic matter. Since man is programmed to live at the expense of his surroundings, man should be conscious of it.
It is important to emphasize that the ethical questioning is a personal process. Schweitzer invites to cautiousness. One does not have the right to decide for others.
III/ Albert Schweitzer and Nouvelle Planète
The memory of the work of d'Albert Schweitzer is present in the functioning and the activities of Nouvelle Planète today.
First it is present in the type of projects supported by Nouvelle Planète. The projects are initiated and carried out by locals using local means. All projects aim to improve the living conditions of the local population, while respecting the local costumes as well as the nature. The close relation between economics and ecology is promoted. In the camps in Lambarénée, Nouvelle Planète collaborates with other associations that follow the vision of d'Albert Schweitzer: the ASAP (Albert Schweitzer Association Philippines) and the Association Burkinabé Albert Schweitzer.
Finally, camps for youth, adults and elders have been organised by Nouvelle Planète for more than 20 years. Camps take place in developing countries. Overseas camps give a chance to those who desire to take part concretely in a development project. But camps serve a deeper purpose. They offer volunteers the opportunity to discover another culture and to open their minds to another way of life. Participants understand the others, their joys and their pains. They share their daily life. Together, they participate in the building of a better world.
