A Gift of Hope

A Gift of Hope

For Christmas, I received a gift of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams

There’s no need to say that now is a good time to read such a book. But I did so enjoy the step away from the toxic positivity that’s often the subject of social media and toward a more realistic discussion of why hope is possible, even now. ‘Hope science’ identifies four components of the “hope cycle” essential to creating a lasting sense of hope:

Realistic goals to pursue

Realistic pathways to achieve them

The confidence that we can achieve the goals

The support to overcome adversity along the way

Reasons for Hope

The book is structured as a dialogue between Goodall and Abrams on the feasibility of hope when we know that we are having a climate crisis, a global pandemic, political crises, and the loss of biodiversity all over the planet. Despite all these problems, Goodall sees four reasons to hope for the future:

The amazing human intellect

The resilience of nature

The power of young people

The indomitable human spirit

Hope is an Active Verb

Make no mistake—Goodall connects hope to action. And she has many stories of how action has saved species and habitats, and has brought together opponents. The existential threats to life on Earth challenge the human species to do four things:

Alleviate poverty (“If you are living in crippling poverty, you will . . .fish the last fish because you’re desperate to feed your family.”)

Reduce the unsustainable lifestyles of the affluent

Eliminate corruption

Face the problems caused by growing populations of humans and their livestock

So—big tasks.

Goodall’s Personal History of Hope

The discussion of hope while facing incredible, seemingly insurmountable obstacles begins with examples from the past. Goodall was a child in Great Britain during WWII, and recalls the hope she and other Brits found in the actions and words of Winston Churchill. It moves forward to Jane’s research on chimpanzees, for which she is famous. Finally, it arrives at our current troubles. Jane and the Jane Goodall Institute have been very involved in creating organizations that make a difference to the natural world including Tacare (conservation through schools, clinics, food, micro loans, etc.); and Roots and Shoots (a worldwide youth program with the three pillars of “helping people, animals, and the environment” that began in Tanzania). 

Anger and Fear Alongside Hope

While feelings of helplessness and depression are acknowledged (did you know that ‘eco-grief’ is a term for what the climate crisis causes people to experience?), Goodall believes that hope remains. “We do need to respond with fear and anger about what is happening. Our house is on fire. But if we don’t have hope that we can put the fire out, we will give up. It’s not hope or fear—or anger. We need them all.”