Dr Jane Goodall says chimpanzees have a ‘spark of Divine energy’ too.
By Roland Ashby
“The world is so full of magic and surprises”, says Dr Jane Goodall, DBE, who was recently awarded the prestigious 2021 Templeton Prize. This was given to celebrate “her scientific and spiritual curiosity” and in recognition of “her unrelenting effort to connect humanity to a greater purpose”.
The renowned scientist and conservationist is best known for her remarkable study of, and life with chimpanzees, over many years, in the forests of Gombe National Park in Tanzania.
“When I was in Gombe, particularly, I felt very, very close to a great spiritual power... in every living thing,” she says. The chimpanzees, the trees, all have “a spark of that Divine energy”.
The Templeton Prize was established in 1972 “to honour those who harness the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it”.
Heather Templeton Dill, president of the John Templeton Foundation and the granddaughter of its founder, said that Dr Goodall’s discoveries “have profoundly altered the world’s view of animal intelligence and enriched our understanding of humanity in a way that is both humbling and exalting”.
“Ultimately,” she added, “[Dr Goodall’s] work exemplifies the kind of humility, spiritual curiosity, and discovery that my grandfather, John Templeton, wrote and spoke about during his life.”
Asked by Religion News Service journalist Yonat Shimron what advice she would give to a 10-year-old wanting to become a scientist, Dr Goodall replied: “I would tell them you mustn’t be cold. You must have empathy. It’s the lack of empathy for subjects that’s led to so much cruelty to animals. Now, we’re even learning how... trees communicate. It’s such a fascinating world to live in. There’s always something new to learn.”
Her empathy and humility is wisdom that was also prized by 13th century German mystic Mechtilde of Magdeberg, who said that “The truly wise person kneels at the feet of all creatures”.
Theologian Matthew Fox, in commenting on this, writes: “Kneeling brings us closer to the earth... and more literally eye-to-eye with all creatures. This signifies an I-Thou attitude: a relationship coming more from our hearts and less from our heads.
“Maybe our ecological crises today are the result of our failure to show reverence for all creatures, to kneel at their feet.”
As we celebrate NAIDOC Week* in Australia, we should also honour our First Nations Peoples, because they too have understood and practised this ancient wisdom for millennia. Aboriginal Elder Eddie Kneebone (1947-2005) said: “Aboriginal spirituality is the belief that all objects are living and share the same soul or spirit that Aboriginals share. Therefore all Aboriginals have a kinship with the environment.”
I invite you to watch Dr Goodall talking about her life, work and spirituality in this inspiring short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9TiRytw-OU
*NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC stands for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’.
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