Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey

by Jane Goodall

“As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” This has helped me through the hardest times of my life. Somehow we shall find the strength to get through a day of unhappiness, of suffering, of heartache. Somehow, I always have.

THE OLD WISDOM When the night wind makes the pine trees creak And the pale clouds glide across the dark sky, Go out, my child, go out and seek Your soul: the Eternal I. For all the grasses rustling at your feet And every flaming star that glitters high Above you, close up and meet In you: the Eternal I. Yes, my child, go out into the world; walk slow And silent, comprehending all, and by and by Your soul, the Universe, will know Itself: the Eternal I.

When I was away from Gombe and plunged into the developed world I found it harder to sense the presence of God. I had not learned, then, to keep the peace of the forest within.

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.”

One female chimpanzee, living in a large captive group in a zoo in Holland, became amazingly skillful at restoring peaceful relations. Whenever two of the adult males were sitting tense after a conflict, avoiding each other’s gaze, there would be noticeable agitation running throughout the entire group. This old female would then initiate a grooming session with one of the rivals, during which she gradually moved a little closer to the second male—followed by her grooming partner. Then she would leave him and repeat her maneuver with his rival. Eventually the two males were so close that both could groom her at the same time. When she was thus the only thing separating them she quietly moved away, and, calmed by the grooming, and neither having to be the first to break the deadlock, they started to groom each other.

“I may have to disobey my government,” he said, “but if I don’t, I would be disobeying God.”

Science does not have appropriate tools for the dissection of the spirit.

It has been estimated that one acre of fertile land can produce between five hundred and six hundred pounds of vegetable protein from crops such as peas or beans. If the acre is used, instead, to grow a crop to feed animals, which we then kill and eat, we shall only get between forty and fifty-five pounds of animal protein from that acre.

My reasons for hope are fourfold: (1) the human brain; (2) the resilience of nature; (3) the energy and enthusiasm that is found or can be kindled among young people worldwide; and (4) the indomitable human spirit.

Each one of us matters, has a role to play, and makes a difference. Each one of us must take responsibility for our own lives, and above all, show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other. Together we must reestablish our connections with the natural world and with the Spiritual Power that is around us. And then we can move, triumphantly, joyously, into the final stage of human evolution—spiritual evolution.

I ended with one of Albert Schweitzer’s moving prayers: “For animals that are overworked, underfed, and cruelly treated; for all wistful creatures in captivity that beat their wings against bars; for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry; for all that must be put to death …and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words.”