Jane
Goodall, an English primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger
of Peace, remind us that it is never too late in healing Earth’s scars. She is
well known for her optimism and gives us her four reasons for hope. They are
the human brain (or our intellect), the resilience of nature, the indomitable
human spirit, as well as the determination and energy of young people. I can
say that I agree fully with all of Jane Goodall’s four reasons for hope.
Firstly,
our intelligence over the years has been developing faster than ever. More people
are becoming educated and seeking higher education which will lead us to
utilize our problem solving abilities to make wiser and more responsible choices
about the environment. Next, the resilience of nature is an incredible thing; I
have seen greenery regrow when human damage had originally made it nearly
impossible. Also, I have witnessed species on the brink of extinction
reproducing and being renewed as no longer an endangered species.
Then,
the indomitable human spirit amazes me time and time again as I see children
especially in third world countries who are barely getting their daily
necessary intake of food and water, smiling, laughing and playing. Furthermore,
I recently saw an article where children in the poorest parts of Africa had a
dream of owning a camera so they went ahead and made a “camera” out of stones
and rock then pretending to take pictures of each other. I also feel that if
one sets their mind to their dreams, goals or aspirations, anything is
possible.
Finally,
the determination and the energy of young people is like the underdog of all
the reasons for hope. This is due to the fact that the youth are still, at this
time, being treated like kids however that doesn’t stop them from making a
difference in the future and for future generations to come. Now that people are becoming more educated in
addition to the young are learning more about environmental and ecological
issues that affect them I can tell they want to correct the wrong doings on
this planet. Once they know what the problems are and have the tools to take
action, they will.
Those
who kill animals often proclaim that they were “protecting themselves” yet learning
about the relationship between Jane Goodall and the apes has made me come to
realize that there is an understanding and communication error. What I mean by
that is if humans, just like Jane, were to take the time and energy to not
solely believe what they are told by society that “animals are dangerous” but
rather to grasp knowledge of these creatures then they could see that they mean
no harm. “I believe that human know how and the resilience of nature, combined with
the energy and commitment of dedicated individuals, can restore damaged
environments so that, once again, they can become home to many of our
endangered species” (Goodall).
Our
student learning outcomes are along the lines of developing a better understanding
of the environment, critically analyze environmental issues, describe
ecological features and demonstrate a practical understanding. All of these
outcomes tie into with Jane Goodall’s reasons to hope as our human spirit helps
us develop a better understanding, our intellect lets us critically analyze,
our energy of youth gives us the ability to demonstrate and, last but certainly
not least, our resilience of nature allows us to describe.
References
Goodall, Jane, Thane
Maynard, and Gail E. Hudson. "Healing Earth's Scars: It's Never Too Late." Hope For Animals and Their
World. New York: Grand Central Pub., 2009. 161 177.
Print.
Jane Goodall making a funny face with a fellow chimp many years later
Jane Goodall interacting with a baby monkey. I think the baby monkey is warming up to her and accepting her.
Young Jane Goodall first observing the primates with her binoculars from a far distance.
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