Hope Never Dies. Because I Live Within Your Actions

After witnessing the destruction of forests and the suffering of chimpanzees at the Chicago conference in 1986, she transformed from a scientist into an activist. She dedicated her life to environmental activism, spending more than 300 days a year on lecture tours.

In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute and established the youth environmental program 'Roots & Shoots' in 1991, which has now spread to 75 countries worldwide. In 2002, she was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden in January 2025.

She was on the road until her last moment. A great sage of our time, she spoke of hope, urged action, and preached the coexistence of humans and nature.

Q1. Doctor, the world mourned when we heard of your passing last month. Were you not afraid at the moment of entering the unknown forest of death?

Death is not a fearful end. I have always thought of death as 'the next great adventure.'

Watching countless lives being born in the forest and returning to the earth, I learned that even if my body disappears, my spirit and energy remain a part of the universe.

Do you miss me? Do not be sad. Because I will still be alive in the trees of the forest, in the eyes of the chimpanzees, and in your hands that strive to protect the environment.

Q2. Let's turn the clock back to 1960. At the age of twenty-six, with no degrees, how did you endure the loneliness and helplessness when you entered the forest of Gombe in Africa?

At first, it was really hard. The chimpanzees regarded me as a 'white-skinned ape' and avoided me.

I decided to simply become a part of the forest. I wore dull-colored clothes and crawled around for months, trying not to make a sound.

One day, a chimpanzee approached me while I was holding a red palm fruit. It was the friend I named 'David Greybeard.' I will never forget the thrill when he took the fruit from my hand and gently held my hand as if to reassure me.

We communicated without words. Relationships are not formed when I want them to be. It is the first courtesy nature taught me to quietly offer my presence until the other opens their heart.

Q3. At that time, the scientific community fiercely criticized your research methods. They objected to naming animals instead of numbering them and claiming they had 'personalities' and 'minds.'

That's right. Professors at Cambridge University scolded me, saying, "Jane, you are doing everything wrong." At that time, science viewed 'empathy' as a sin that undermined objectivity.

However, when a chimpanzee named 'Flo' died in the Gombe forest, I saw her son 'Flint' stop eating and guard his mother's body until he died of depression. That sorrow was no different from that of humans.

Cold intellect can only see half of the truth. When love and empathy accompany it, we finally understand the essence of life. I chose to remain a 'warm neighbor' rather than a 'cold scientist,' and ultimately, the world came to know that choice was right.

Q4. The 1986 Chicago conference was a turning point in your life. You chose a tiring life of spending 300 days a year on the road, leaving the forest you loved.

At that conference, I faced the horrific truth that the forest was disappearing and that my friends were suffering in the narrow cages of laboratories.

I entered there as a scientist but came out as an activist. The world was collapsing too quickly to just sit in the forest and take notes.

Many people asked me, "Why don't you rest at the age of ninety?" My answer was always the same: "Because there is not much time left."

With the future of children being stolen, I could not stop as long as my legs could move. Every living moment was a struggle for me, and at the same time, a joy.

Q5. You found peace in the forest. How are the environment and the human inner self connected?

Environmental destruction is not just an external problem. It is also connected to the emptiness within us.

When people are anxious, they consume more and destroy more. But when we enter the forest, listen to the breath of the trees, watch the flow of the rivers, and listen to the songs of the birds, we finally find peace.

Nature is our healer. Destroying nature ultimately means destroying the source of our own healing. I learned silence and solitude in the Gombe forest, and in that, I found my inner peace.

Restoration does not come from outside; it begins when we remember that we are a part of nature.

Q6. You have always spoken of 'hope.' The world is still dark with the climate crisis and wars. Do you still believe there is hope?

Of course. My hope is not vague optimism. It stands on four solid pieces of evidence.

First, the human brain. We created problems, but we also have the amazing technology and wisdom to solve them.

Second, the resilience of nature. I have seen the miracle of the devastated hills of Gombe returning to forest.

Third, the indomitable human spirit. I have met people who do not give up even in war, disability, and poverty.

And finally, fourth, the energy of young people. They already know and are taking action.

My physical body may leave, but these four pillars of hope remain. So please, do not give up.

Q7. The 'Roots & Shoots' movement you created has spread to 75 countries around the world. What final message would you like to convey to us and the next generation?

'Roots' create a strong foundation, and 'Shoots' may seem small but push through concrete walls towards the sun. Each one of you is that shoot.

I may now lay down my burdens, but my dreams will continue to grow in your hands.

Every morning, look in the mirror and ask yourself, "What impact will I have on the world today?"

Your small actions gather to create a huge change. Remember, you are not alone. In the sound of the wind in the forest, I will always be standing by you, cheering you on.

Source
- Jane Goodall (1971, 1999, 2021), 《In the Shadow of Man》, 《Reason for Hope》, 《The Book of Hope》
- ABC News (2025.10.2), Jane Goodall, famed primatologist and conservationist, dies at 91
- Newsweek (2025.10.2), Conservationist Jane Goodall Dead at 91
- The Jane Goodall Institute official announcement (2025.10.1)

Written by Brez Journal Editorial Team

📌 Editor's Note

This article is a fictional interview reconstructed based on Jane Goodall's life, works, and lectures during her lifetime, not an actual dialogue.

Brez Journal brings her voice back to today's language and asks: How does her hope, which she protected forests and chimpanzees for a century, resonate with us now?

If we do not act now, will the future not repeat the same crises again?

🤝 How to Continue Jane Goodall's Legacy

Dr. Jane Goodall has passed, but the seeds she planted still await our touch. The best way to honor her life is through 'action.'

Roots & Shoots
An environmental action network involving youth and citizens worldwide. Start making a change in your community.
👉 Global official website rootsandshoots.global

The Jane Goodall Institute
The institute's activities for chimpanzee habitat protection and climate crisis response continue.
👉 Support and participate in the institute janegoodall.global

Brez Journal Challenge
This week, commemorate Dr. Jane Goodall by choosing to eat vegetarian for one meal a day.
#RememberingJane #InLivingWeSustain