Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey

Goodall recalls her search for healing back in Gombe after Derek died. Watching the chimps’ life cycles helped her reconcile with death itself. After a lengthy European tour, Goodall returned to Gombe once more in the spring of 1981. Sitting on the steps of her hut by the lake, Goodall experienced a profound sense of peace. She studied the light, the forests, and the sky, and was calm. She was flooded with memories from her early time in Gombe and felt overcome by awe. She spent many hours in this state of reverie. That evening, she came to terms with all the beauty humans could experience.

In reflection, Goodall still feels sad that many thinkers disregard the connection between science and religion. To her, these fields of thought are interconnected. She remarks on other minds who believe the same as her, including the physicist John C. Eccles and Albert Einstein. She also shares conversations she had with others who were seeking meaning the way she had been. She is glad for the opportunities she’s had to evolve others’ opinions on spirituality. 

She recounts a time she spent in the Gombe not long later. Lying alone in the forest, she was overcome by emotion—weeping for everything she had lost and been given. Afterwards, she felt at peace.

Goodall continues reflecting on her grief journey, sharing poems she wrote about her experience after Derek’s death. Meanwhile, a war was raging in Tanzania and other atrocities were occurring in neighboring African countries. These conflicts made her wonder again if there was hope. Reading Hugh Caldwell’s book Human Destiny gave her some clarity, as Caldwell argued that compassion was an antidote to suffering. Goodall agreed. She remarks on Caldwell’s ideas, asserting that humans—unlike other animals—have the capacity to promote peace over violence. She also remarks on animals’—particularly chimpanzees’—capacity for wonder and awe.

Goodall describes prominent figures who have inspired her interest in peace and love, including Mikhail Gorbachev and Mohammed Yunus. She describes Yunus’s work in Bangladesh and the important reforms he’s been able to make. Although the environment continued to suffer during this period and human violence was all around, Goodall didn’t give up hope. She remained confident in those voices who spread messages of peace. She believed that the more people heard these messages, the better chance human civilization had of surviving together.

Goodall asserts that true compassion originates from a connection to the earth. She wishes civilization could return to Indigenous lifestyles but acknowledges the impossibility. She despairs at modern society’s emphasis on distraction, comfort, and success. She holds that everyone must tend “the flame of [their] pure spirit” (199) before they can show compassion and love to others. This notion, she believes, has to do with God.

Goodall reflects on how her life changed after publishing her book The Chimpanzees of Gombe in 1986. After its release, Goodall hosted a conference with the help of Chicago Academy of Sciences director Dr. Paul Heltne. The conference changed Goodall in unexpected ways. Afterwards, she felt committed to a life of environmental stewardship and education. The conference revealed how vulnerable chimp populations were, both in the wild and in medical research labs in the United States, as well as worldwide. Goodall decided to fight for the chimps, unaware that this work would keep her on the road at all times.

Goodall recalls her visit to SEMA’s research lab in Maryland. She was overcome by sorrow witnessing the animals’ suffering. She started speaking out against animal research, often changing people’s minds on the practice.

Goodall asserts that chimps experience so many of the same afflictions as humans. This is why she has fought for them. She discusses her encounters with the chimp JoJo, whom she met at a research lab at New York University. They shared an immediate connection and Goodall felt his sorrow and despair.

Goodall can’t understand why some people believe empathizing with animals is a deficiency. She shares all of her thinking on the matter and explains why she believes interspecies communication is essential to human civilization. The more Goodall learned about animal cruelty, the more her opinions developed. She even became a vegetarian. She believes other people can change their outlooks, too, and references her difficult conversation with a cab driver on these matters. Although set in his beliefs, she later learned how sensitive the driver had become after their interaction.