Reader 1: He was called “the world’s greatest living human being.” By the age of 30 he was recognized as a brilliant theologian and acclaimed as an organ virtuoso and interpreter of Bach. But the real greatness of Albert Schweitzer did not lie in any of those accomplishments but rather in his decision to give up those promising careers and become a medical doctor in the jungles of Africa.

In 1875, Albert Schweitzer was born in a Lutheran parsonage in Alsace, the territory that bounced back and forth between French and German control, depending on who had won the most recent war. His childhood was a happy one, except for school. Albert was a dreamer, and he and school simply did not get along.

His love of the out-of-doors helped him to settle on an early career goal: to be the village swin…