Religious Scholar

Two of the most interesting spiritual figures of the 20th century were not closely associated with a particular religious sect. Their most memorable writings appear not in books on religion, but rather in journals published after their deaths. They are Dag Hammarskjold and Simone Weil.

Hammarskjold (1905-1961) is best known for  his work as secretary general of the United Nations. He died in a plane crash near North Rhodesia. Weil (1909-1943) was a philosopher who labored for workers' rights and was part of the French Resistance during World War II.  Neither individual could be called a saint in the common meaning of that word. Hammarskjold's commitment to the well-being of people throughout the world was offset by what appeared to be a cool detachment, elitist isolation. Weil was the opposite, throwing herself with abandon into causes in which her presence often was more a liability than an asset. She could be intolerant of others, and her extreme views of self-sacrifice in part contributed to her death by tuberculosis and starvation.

While their outward lives exemplified at least some of the ideals of social service and scholarship, their inner lives were case studies in the growth of the soul's communion with the divine. This growth would have been hidden except for the journals they kept (and in Weil's case, also through confidences in close friends). Hammarskjold's Markings and Weil's Notebooks describe inner journeys that evolved through pain and uncertainty into joy and communion. While some of their ideas may shock and provoke, they reveal in these journals a glimpse of lives lived deep in the marrow of being, full of intensity, humility and a perpetual state of awakening. --Linda Brown Holt