Good All Around (Hearing Jane Goodall Speak in Person)
Reflections on Dr. Jane Goodall's speech at the University of Texas at Arlington
 |
| Dr. Jane Goodall, 80 years old, speaks at the University of Texas at Arlington 31 March, 2016 |
It's 7:30 in the College Parks Arena at UTA. The stadium is packed with very few empty seats. On the gigantic screen, images of Jane Goodall throughout her life are shown. 7:45 comes around, and the esteemed and world-renowned scientist, author, and conservationist takes the stage. The arena fills with applause, and a standing ovation rolls over the crowd. Jane Goodall raises her hand, smiling her characteristic smile, and silences the room.
She begins, "Now, I could say 'hello,' but rather..."
She breaks out into a chimpanzee call, hooting unbashedly, her ape noises echoing off the walls. Laughter fills the room, and Goodall manages to captivate the attention of the entire arena.
Dr. Goodall began by telling childhood anecdotes of her first experiences with nature- a two year-old Jane looking for worms in the garden, a four year-old Jane hiding in a chicken coup to watch how eggs are laid. She then told of her mother, to whom she gives the credit for her success. Goodall's mother always encouraged her scientific exploration and praised her curiosity. Goodall read feverishly as a child, always passionate about animals and enamored by the tales of Tarzan. (Goodall commented on Tarzan loving another girl named Jane.)
Goodall first sailed to Kenya at the age of 23 in the late 1950s to visit a friend whose family lived in Nairobi. As the British-Egyptian War was ongoing, she had to sail west around the Cape of Good Hope, rather than through the Suez Canal. Goodall commented on how the weather and waves changed as the boat passed different latitudes, reflected on the flying fish soaring through the waves, on the exotic smells drifting from the shores.
Goodall, by a stroke of luck, alongside her extensive knowledge of the natural sciences (although she had not gone to university), impressed a scientist leading a research expedition, and received a position as a secretary. Her hard work and thirst for knowledge led to the eventual chance for Goodall to begin her own research project, working with chimpanzees on a six-month grant in the 1960s.
Between then and now, Goodall has made many breakthroughs with respect to the knowledge known about the sophistication of chimpanzees (far more than anyone ever realized): their social structure, their capabilities to use tools, and their complex range of emotions.
She did the noble work of a scientist for years until 1986, when, at a conference, horrified to learn about research regarding shrinking forests and animal populations across Africa, Goodall devoted her career to conservation.
She breaks out into a chimpanzee call, hooting unbashedly, her ape noises echoing off the walls. Laughter fills the room, and Goodall manages to captivate the attention of the entire arena.
Dr. Goodall began by telling childhood anecdotes of her first experiences with nature- a two year-old Jane looking for worms in the garden, a four year-old Jane hiding in a chicken coup to watch how eggs are laid. She then told of her mother, to whom she gives the credit for her success. Goodall's mother always encouraged her scientific exploration and praised her curiosity. Goodall read feverishly as a child, always passionate about animals and enamored by the tales of Tarzan. (Goodall commented on Tarzan loving another girl named Jane.)
Goodall first sailed to Kenya at the age of 23 in the late 1950s to visit a friend whose family lived in Nairobi. As the British-Egyptian War was ongoing, she had to sail west around the Cape of Good Hope, rather than through the Suez Canal. Goodall commented on how the weather and waves changed as the boat passed different latitudes, reflected on the flying fish soaring through the waves, on the exotic smells drifting from the shores.
Goodall, by a stroke of luck, alongside her extensive knowledge of the natural sciences (although she had not gone to university), impressed a scientist leading a research expedition, and received a position as a secretary. Her hard work and thirst for knowledge led to the eventual chance for Goodall to begin her own research project, working with chimpanzees on a six-month grant in the 1960s.
Between then and now, Goodall has made many breakthroughs with respect to the knowledge known about the sophistication of chimpanzees (far more than anyone ever realized): their social structure, their capabilities to use tools, and their complex range of emotions.
She did the noble work of a scientist for years until 1986, when, at a conference, horrified to learn about research regarding shrinking forests and animal populations across Africa, Goodall devoted her career to conservation.
Dr. Goodall encouraged us all to know the worth and value of each individual and the good that we can accomplish when we unite. She made us laugh with her frequent jokes and anecdotes, fondly and humorously told; she made us tear up with her mention of the way that the natural environments of Africa are so different than they were when she began her research over half a century ago.
Goodall is 80 years old and still traveling all over the world to speak on conservation and share her testimony. All her words were so full of joy. Goodall's smile and laughter was unrelenting the entire night. She is a joyful person, something her laugh lines and crow's feet reveal; she's had a long life of laughter. She has seen the destruction of the environment and human poverty all over the world, and yet still has hope in humankind.
Dr. Goodall is courageous, having overcome many obstacles to get where she did. She was born with a working-class single mother, and as a woman in the early 20th century did not receive the status and respect that she deserved as a scientist. People doubted and questioned her theories on primate emotions, their use of tools, and their social behaviors. Everywhere, her work was called invalid; many in the scientific community continued to maintain that apes were nothing like humans, that they were not capable of emotions.
Yet, she continued. She eventually received global renown for her work. She has traveled around the globe raising awareness. I'll never forget the kindness within her voice, the way she hooted "hello" in chimpanzee talk the moment she walked up to the podium, the way that she thanked her mother for always supporting and encouraging her curiosity, and the way she explained how she earnestly believed that the youth of today have the power to change the world for the better.
She ended with the benediction, "Humans have done great and unthinkable things with their brains. Therefore, we can turn this around. Let us join hands and hearts, and change the world before it is too late."
A dream of mine is to lead a life with a fragment of the adventure and a fraction of the selflessness that Goodall has lived hers.
Goodall is 80 years old and still traveling all over the world to speak on conservation and share her testimony. All her words were so full of joy. Goodall's smile and laughter was unrelenting the entire night. She is a joyful person, something her laugh lines and crow's feet reveal; she's had a long life of laughter. She has seen the destruction of the environment and human poverty all over the world, and yet still has hope in humankind.
Dr. Goodall is courageous, having overcome many obstacles to get where she did. She was born with a working-class single mother, and as a woman in the early 20th century did not receive the status and respect that she deserved as a scientist. People doubted and questioned her theories on primate emotions, their use of tools, and their social behaviors. Everywhere, her work was called invalid; many in the scientific community continued to maintain that apes were nothing like humans, that they were not capable of emotions.
Yet, she continued. She eventually received global renown for her work. She has traveled around the globe raising awareness. I'll never forget the kindness within her voice, the way she hooted "hello" in chimpanzee talk the moment she walked up to the podium, the way that she thanked her mother for always supporting and encouraging her curiosity, and the way she explained how she earnestly believed that the youth of today have the power to change the world for the better.
She ended with the benediction, "Humans have done great and unthinkable things with their brains. Therefore, we can turn this around. Let us join hands and hearts, and change the world before it is too late."
A dream of mine is to lead a life with a fragment of the adventure and a fraction of the selflessness that Goodall has lived hers.
Comments
Post a Comment