PEBBLE
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
~Jane Goodall, shared by Jody in Green Bay, WI
BOULDER
We are part of the natural world. And even today, when the planet is dark, there still is hope. Don’t lose hope. If you lose hope, you become apathetic and do nothing. And if you want to save what is still beautiful in this world – if you want to save the planet for the future generations, your grandchildren, their grandchildren – then think about the actions you take each day.
~Jane Goodall, shared by Xabi in Cincinnati, OH
PONDER
Both quotes landed in my inbox shortly after Jane Goodall’s death last month, at 91. Many of us were still reeling from the news when Netflix released the inaugural episode of Famous Last Words —a series of interviews released only after the subject’s passing. Jane’s conversation was wide-ranging, funny, and warm (admittedly with a few prickly comments that might annoy some folks). My favorite part came at the end, when she was left alone with the camera for five minutes to say whatever she wanted her “famous last words” to be. She looked directly into the lens and spoke from both her head and her heart. The clip Xabi shared as today’s Boulder was a key part of her final words, but the whole thing is worth experiencing for sure.
Near the end of her long, full life, she seemed tired—and at times exasperated by the world’s slow pace of change. Still, I was inspired that her considerable (and understandable) frustration didn’t dim her hope that enough people will eventually take enough action to have a meaningful impact on the State of Things.
I shared some of her wisdom in last week’s Anchors for Peace and Hope Zoom talks, along with a handful of other upbeat and ponderous nuggets. Afterwards, I think we all felt a little more peaceful—and a bit more hopeful, too. You can find the audio replay as the latest episodes of The Ripples Pondcast or watch the videos of the Tuesday and Thursday sessions (I ended up sharing different anchors and nuggets in each one).
May her steady faith in our potential become fuel for ours—unleashing small, meaningful ripples of hope wherever we wander.
P.S. I also highly recommend the audio version of The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times where Goodall and her co-author Douglas Abrams swap stories and ideas.