The huge waste of life during the war terribly grieved Schweitzer, and he was deeply depressed for several years. The war, he believed, was proof that religion was not a real force in the spiritual life of the age. Looking back on his first visit to Africa, he considered his work there not benevolence but rather atonement for a tiny part of the guilt the white race bears for all it has done to the colored races. In The Decay and the Restoration of Civilization Schweitzer examines the problems of civilization and their solution through ethics. Nationalism has helped to bring about the decay of civilization because of the spirit of barbarism.
Revolutionary change is needed without revolutionary action.
When the collective body dominates the individual's spiritual and moral worthiness, the constriction causes deterioration. The individuals must rise to a higher conception of their capabilities and produce new spiritual-ethical ideas. A new public opinion must be created to counteract the press which is under the influence of political and financial forces. This requires independent and strong personalities who are free of the prevalent conditions. This idealism encourages people to focus on the values of civilization even amid the increasing absorption in material concerns.