Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Category: Day by Day (page 13 of 30)

The hospital-a village – A life worth living – Part 36

The Albert Schweitzer hospital of the 1960’s was far from the traditional hospital we’re familiar with. It was not a single building filled with beds where patients recovered from illness in a formal setting. Gabonese patients came a long way and stayed in huts, along with those who had brought them. This was a hospital […]

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Founding the hospital – A life worth living – Part 35

In 1913, the Schweitzers prepared to travel to Lambarènè, on the Ogowe River in what was then French Equatorial Africa. Here they founded their hospital at a station set up by the Paris Missionary Society. This area is now part of the independent West African republic of Gabon. But first, they needed to do a […]

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…and you shall find

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7

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Resolve to be a jungle doctor – A life worth living – Part 34

From Schweitzer’s autobiography: “One brilliant summer morning in Günsbach, during the Whitsuntide holidays—it was in 1896—as I awoke, the thought came to me that I must not accept this good fortune as a matter of course, but must give something in return.” “While outside the birds sang, I reflected on this thought and before I […]

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Albert Schweitzer – A life worth living – Part 33

ALBERT SCHWEITZER (1875-1965) Now for something completely different. A man who served to overcome needs in a remote area of the world.  Albert Schweitzer was an Alsatian-German religious philosopher, musicologist and medical missionary in Africa. He was especially known for founding the Albert Schweitzer Hospital which provided much needed care for the natives of Gabon […]

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Gandhi and Indian independence – A life worth living – Part 32

Gandhi brought Satyagraha to India in 1915 and was soon elected to the Indian National Congress political party. He began to push for independence from British rule, organizing resistance to a 1919 law that gave British authorities the power to imprison suspected revolutionaries without trial. Britain responded by mowing down 400 unarmed protesters and killing […]

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Satyagraha – A life worth living – Part 31

Satyagraha literally means “truth force,” “truth” meaning a right granted by nature and the universe that should not be impeded on by man. Satyagraha was a focused nonviolent resistance to a particular injustice. A person using Satyagraha would resist injustice by refusing to follow an unjust law. “In doing so, he would not be angry, […]

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Overcoming injustice with love – A life worth living – Part 30

It’s obvious how Jesus had a big influence on Gandhi by the way he lived and the way he worked to overcome injustice. The radical changes Jesus brought into the world could only have been possible through his great love. In fact, generally speaking, probably the greater the love, the greater will be the justice […]

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Changes for Gandhi – A life worth living – Part 29

During Gandhi’s stay in Pretoria, he read about 80 books on religion. He came under the influence of Christianity and took Bible classes, but did not embrace it. [1] Gandhi underwent a gradual change, reducing his wants and expenses. He began to do his own laundry and clean out his own chamber pot, often his […]

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South Africa and discrimination – A life worth living – Part 28

When Gandhi arrived in South Africa he was appalled by the discrimination he experienced as an Indian immigrant. On a train trip to Pretoria, he was in a first-class compartment but told to leave because he was a non-white and not allowed in first-class. He protested, producing his first-class ticket, but was warned he would […]

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