For All Life Is A Gift
I
have been thinking about this gift of life we sang about in our opening
hymn. Albert Schweitzer’s philosophy,
Reverence for Life, inspires me.
Schweitzer achieved so much—a doctorate in philosophy and theology; he
was a preacher, a teacher, a renowned musician, author of numerous books, a
physician who started and served a hospital for native Africans for fifty
years, and he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. In spite of all these accomplishments and all his fame, he
believed his greatest contribution was his philosophy, Reverence for Life.
Briefly stated, this philosophy means—since we are given life, we are called to
use that life for the common good, respecting all living things. Its
implications affect how we live our lives today—not
in some future life, but here and now.
There is something sacred about the first and last breath taken. Anyone present at the birth of a living being can testify to the sense of mystery that comes when a baby emerges from the womb. We each have memories of some new life that comes into our midst, whether it was a child, a pet or a plant. We feel an instinctive desire to nurture that life. Birth elates us and puts us in touch with the hope and promise eternally present in our lives. Since we don’t participate in our own creation, we realize that life is a gift we are given.
As holy as birth, are those moments when the last breath is taken. Often, we are skittish to talk about our experiences of death—as if talking about them will draw the attention of some grim reaper. Those first and last breaths are seldom in our hands to control—yet both can be profound spiritual experiences.
About
four years ago, I held my cat in my arms as he neared death. He had the feline form of HIV and his health
declined with his terminal illness. As the end neared, I wanted to ease his
passage. I carried him to my bed and read him a James Herriot story—Oscar, Cat-About Town. I took out my hymnal and sang Spirit of Life
and other hymns to him, and one of my personal favorites, Have I Told You Lately that I love you? I petted him and whispered to him and he almost sighed as he took his last breath. I participated in a holy moment. That
experience transformed my beliefs about reverence for all life. Between our first and last breaths, we are
called to recognize that all life is a gift and it matters how we approach all
living things.
Sometimes,
we humans think we are on a much higher order than other living creatures. Schweitzer tells how wild geese once landed on
a certain pond. The gardener there
clipped the wings of one of the birds so it could not fly. The geese readied themselves to fly away
again but the goose with the clipped wings could not fly, no matter how hard it
flapped. The other geese observed the
predicament. They did everything they
could to support the goose in becoming airborne, but to no avail. The flock then settled down and refused to
fly though every instinct urged them on.
After several days, the goose’s feathers grew back and the flock flew
away as one body. Geese understand that
to care for one is to care for all.[1]
The Tuesday video discussion group. We have been watched a PBS documentary on Charles Darwin and evolution this past winter and spring. I remember one very poignant passage. The scientist showed how many animal species could be linked together by comparing their DNA. Their DNA is not so different. The scientist found the evidence very affirming—we are all connected concretely to one another. Given these scientific findings, how do we act with reverence for life?
Schweitzer was criticized for his simple approach, yet he realized that reverence for life did not keep people from making difficult choices. He watched the life that caused sleeping sickness or malaria under his microscope. Medications killed that life while sparing many of his suffering patients. What an easy choice that seems to us—a no-brainer. Yet, Schweitzer was aware that life and death are intertwined. He believed, like Darwin, that all living things find a way to adapt and survive, but he felt sad that some life had to die so others could live. Those emotions did not keep him from doing what needed to be done. Conscious awareness and respect are crucial elements to cultivate reverence for all life.
Another segment of the video on evolution pointed out how our actions create other actions and how life will survive somehow. The video showed how we are obsessed with killing germs and bacteria. Often, these bacteria evolve to create resistant strains that cannot be killed easily. When I worked as a hospital social worker and a chaplain, I saw the facts before my eyes. Numerous cases of nosocomial infections existed—those varieties that were highly resistant to antibiotics. Given that we must make decisions that will cause some living things to thrive or die, how do we demonstrate our respect for life?
There is a moving story from the Jewish tradition that offers us a suggestion. A rabbi was walking down a German city street, concerned about the rise of the Nazi Party. Two young men in brown Nazi uniforms walked his way. One of them had his hands cupped, as if he were trying to keep something from escaping. “What do you think I have in my hands?” asked the young man.
The rabbi saw a feather float out from between his fingers and said, “It’s not hard to see that you have a tiny bird cupped in your palms”.
“Yes”, said the youth, “But tell me is the bird alive or dead? Tell us the right answer and nothing bad will happen to you or your synagogue.”
The rabbi was a wise man. He knew that if he said the bird was dead, the young man would release the bird. But if he said the bird was alive, they would certainly kill the tiny creature. Whichever way he answered, he and his congregation would suffer. The rabbi saw then the history of the Jewish people pass before his eyes. So many times they were in no-win situations. The rabbi thought and thought some more.
Finally, the rabbi looked them straight in the eyes and said, “You ask whether the bird is alive or dead. The answer is in your hands. The answer is in your hands.”
In
Nazi Germany, some people participated in the Holocaust. Others provided shelter for those
persecuted. Many, if not most, did
nothing. Each person held the answer in
his or her own hands. So do we. How
will we choose to treat all living things—how do we act with reverence for all
life?[2]
When
we lack awareness of or sensitivity to the significance of all life, our ethics
are affected. We may become more
callous. I wonder if our fate in these
times, may lie in the presence or absence of reverence for life. I heard a newscast months ago that described
the latest bombs that can suck the oxygen out of a cave and suffocate its
inhabitants. I worry about the casual
manner in which the news reporter described these weapons and their
effect. I worry even more about our
desensitization to hearing about these weapons and speeches that imply we will
not hesitate to use nuclear weapons. If
we really live as if all life
matters, we cannot casually talk about these things. Like Schweitzer, we would
feel sadness, but we would be compelled to act consciously.
As
Unitarian Universalists, each of us must decide individually what we believe
about our connection to all life and its impact on the environment, peace, and
justice. But we are not simply individuals; we are also a faith community that
encourages one another to search for truth and meaning, to remember our
connection to the interdependent web, and that believes in putting our faith into
action. So I ask you—how will you
demonstrate your reverence for life from this day forward? Perhaps, you can find a source of
inspiration in these closing words from Albert Schweitzer: “We wander in darkness now, but… we all have
the conviction… that a time will come when religion and ethical thinking will
unite. This we believe, and hope and
work for, maintaining the belief that if we make ethical ideals active in our
own lives, then the time will come when people will do the same.”[3] May we live our lives, mindful of this
ethical principle, reverence for life.
May we live as if all life is a gift we are called to use to serve the
common good—and thus, make our own days glad.
May it be so.
© Susan Karlson,
Intern Minister
July 28, 2002
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