There once lived an organist who settled in darkest Africa. He was also a philosopher (he was famous for his search for the ultimate ethic), an historian (he was the leading authority on the music of Bach, about whom he wrote a biography), a theologian (in his younger days he published a series of influential books focusing on the eschatological aspects of the Gospels), and a medical doctor. And since there were no other doctors around for hundreds of miles, he thought his medical training might be of use to the community. Actually, he went to Africa with that in mind. In case you forgot, eschatology (ES-KUH-TAH'L-UH-GEE) is a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of mankind. He said that Jesus had thought that doomsday was just around the corner.

For some reason, most organists seem to be German. Perhaps that's because Bach was a German but I don't really know for sure. In any case, our good doctor was indeed German, (though he later became a Frenchman) and played Bach on his organ nearly every day. Hearing him play the music of Johan Sebastian Bach seemed a bit strange to the natives at first, but in time they got to liking it. During the rest of the day he would see sick people and try to cure them. His specialties were leprosy and sleeping sickness. During the war he wasn't allowed to practice medicine because he was German but the French Commandant of the area, without saying a word to Albert, figured a way to get around the restriction. He sent many unimportant messages to him, always by someone who was sick and then didn't demand their return until Albert had cured them of their illness.

Reverence for Life was the ultimate ethic Albert arrived at; said he, "Respect every living thing, even the lowly fly!"

Now, there are a lot flies buzzing around in Africa and they can be quite bothersome, so it must have taken a lot of discipline for him not to swat any of those irksome little pests. But he lived up to his motto and received the Nobel Prize for it did he, did Doctor Albert Schweitzer.

At one point he decided to build a hospital, which was a good idea since there were even fewer hospitals around than there were doctors. Putting aside the fact of his three PhD's and all the accompanying cerebral stuff, Albert rolled up his sleeves and started to slowly, laboriously move the first logs that would be the hospital's foundation. He was in a gully, attempting to shove the heaviest log into its needed position but it wouldn't budge. Up above the gully, a young African prince who had just returned from his first semester of studying at the University of Oxford watched with amusement as Dr. Schweitzer tried to move the unbudging, massive, errant log into its proper place. Being an independent cuss, Albert hated to ask for help but finally in desperation, he asked the young prince to lend him a hand. The rejection he got was sharp and to the point, "I don't do that sort of thing, I'm an intellectual!"

Albert proceeded to give the King's bewildered son a very calm and measured lecture on the difference between scatology and eschatology.

That was the closest time that Albert Schweitzer ever came to swatting a fly. ¥

© 2003 - Muldoon Elder