Although Dr. Schweitzer did not coin the famous phrase "reverence for life" until the 1950s, near-death experiencers and mystics have understood and practiced a similar reverence for life for many centuries. As a result of their recognition of the essential unity of life, their ethical system has always been grounded in the concept of the interconnectedness and mutual interdependency of all things.
— Phillip L. Berman, The Journey Home