Jane Goodall’s Final Words –  A Legacy No One Will Forget

When Jane was nothing more than a child, she knew she wanted to go to Africa, live among animals, and study them. At the age of 26 she realized that dream and went to Gobe to study the chimpanzees there.

Jane Goodall was an inspiration to me as a child. She proved that women could really be anything they wanted to be—even if that was traditionally a male job. On top of not only being female, she also had no college education and no money.

Where many people would have given up on their dreams, she waitressed and saved every penny she could to get to Africa.

A few months before her death, Netflix interviewed Jane Goodall for a new upcoming series called, “Final Words.” Jane Goodall interviewed with the understanding that what was said would not be revealed until after she had died.

I was riveted by her entire interview, in part because of who she was to me, but also because she was simply a wonderful person. Her last words at the end, that even the host did not get to hear until after her death were:

  “In the place where I am now, I look back over my life. I look back at the world I’ve left behind. What message do I want to leave? I want to make sure that you all understand that each and every one of you has a role to play. You may not know it, you may not find it, but your life matters, and you are here for a reason. And I just hope that reason will become apparent as you live through your life. I want you to know that, whether or not you find that role that you’re supposed to play, your life does matter, and that every single day you live, you make a difference in the world. And you get to choose the difference that you make.

 I want you to understand that 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. Because, multiplied a million, a billion times, even small actions will make for great change. I want to — I just hope that you understand that this life on Planet Earth isn’t the end. I believe, and now I know that there is life beyond death. That consciousness survives.

I can’t tell you, from where I am, secrets that are not mine to share. I can’t tell you what you will find when you leave Planet Earth. But I want you to know that your life on Planet Earth will make some difference in the kind of life you find after you die. Above all, I want you to think about the fact that we are part — when we’re on Planet Earth — we are part of Mother Nature. We depend on Mother Nature for clean air, for water, for food, for clothing, for everything. And as we destroy one ecosystem after another, as we create worse climate change, worse loss of diversity, we have to do everything in our power to make the world a better place for the children alive today, and for those that will follow. You have it in your power to make a difference. Don’t give up. There is a future for you. Do your best while you’re still on this beautiful Planet Earth that I look down upon from where I am now. God bless you all.”

I confess, this blog has fallen into disrepair in part because I had given up hope. Things are more dire than ever for the environment, and yet the world seems bent on destroying it. I am reminded that even though my efforts amount to a drop of water in a bucket, they are still there, and they still matter.

It’s truly wonderful to me that Jane Goodall would make these her final thoughts, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to hear them.