Jane Goodall, and Hope

"[A] human survival trait"

A few years back, when we were climbing out of COVID, a book title struck me as just what I needed:

“Hope.”

By Jane Goodall.

Something about the way she had lived her life made me think—if I want to read a book about hope written by anyone, it’s Jane Goodall. So I bought it right away.

I was so excited when it arrived, and immediately dove in. And it accomplished exactly what I’d….hoped.

With her passing last week after a truly incredible life, I dug back into the book, and want to share some of the passages that most impacted me. I hope they provide a lift to you as they did me then, and as they do again now. I do this now in particular, where I have lately heard far too many conversations laden with defeatism:

She starts out describing the very difficult circumstances at the time the book was written — 2020-2021:

"The forces raging around us—greed, corruption, hared, blind prejudice—are ones we might be foolish to think that we can overcome….But each time I become depressed I think of all the courage, steadfastness, and determination of those who are fighting ‘the forces of evil.’ For yes, I do believe there is evil amongst us. But how much more powerful and inspirational are the voices of those who stand up against it. [T]heir voices will resonate long after they are gone, giving us inspiration and hope….”

“Hope is often misunderstood. People tend to think that it is simply passive wishful thinking. I hope something but I’m not going to do anything about it. This is indeed the opposite of real hope, which requires action and engagement….The cumulative effect of the thousands of ethical actions can help to save and improve our world for future generations….[W]ithout hope, all is lost. It is a crucial survival trait that has sustained our species from the time of our Stone Age ancestors…”

“Hope is contagious. Your actions will inspire others.”

“Hope is what enables us to keep going in the face of adversity. It is what we desire to happen, but we must be prepared to work hard to make it so…

“It’s an aspect of our survival…It’s not a skill. It’s something more innate, more profound. It’s almost a gift…It’s a survival trait…It is a human survival trait and without it we perish.”

She says it’s not about being an optimist or a pessimist.

“Hope…is a stubborn determination to do all you can to make it work. And hope is something we can cultivate. It can change over the course of our lifetime.”

She emphasizes that hope, and action, can be contagious: “It is important to take action and realize that we can make a difference, and this will encourage others to take action, and then we realize we are not alone and our cumulative action truly make an even greater difference. That is how we spread the light….”

“I am sure hope makes a significant difference in so many aspects of our life. It impacts our behavior and what we are able to achieve.”

She cautions that hope and idealism are not the same thing:

“Idealism expects everything to be fair or easy or good. [I]t’s a defense mechanism not unlike denial or delusion. Hope…does not deny the evil but is a response to it.”

Goodall says four major factors ground her hope: the amazing human intellect; the resilience of nature; the power of young people; and the indomitable human spirit.

“[R]emember that we have been gifted with not only a clever brain and a well-developed capacity for love and compassion, but also with an indomitable spirit. We can try to nurture it, give it a chance to spread its wings and fly out into the world giving other people hope and courage….”

“It’s no good denying that there are problems…But if you concentrate on doing the things you can do, and doing them well, it will make all the difference.”

Here’s how the book closes:

“Let us use the gift of our lives to make this a better world. For the sake of our children and theirs. For the sake of those struggling in poverty. For the sake of the lonely. And for the sake of our brothers and sisters in the natural world…

Please, please rise to the challenge, inspire and help those around you, play your part. Find your reasons for hope and let them guide you onward”