Dr. Jane Goodall and her book “Harvest for Hope”

A Renowned Scientist
Sounds a Clarion
Call to People
on Choosing Proper Food

Jane Goodall ♥♥♥♥♥ is the world’s foremost authority on chimpanzees. Her research has transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Starting in 1986, after attending a science conference that proved that the chimpanzees and all the other forest animals were facing the serious problem of being hunted and sold for food, she turned her research work to raising awareness of animal welfare. During this process, she moved into different circles, where she began to learn about poverty, hunger, refugees, animal farming, the environmental crisis, etc. Gradually she became a conservationist, a social activist, calling on people to protect animals and the environment, as well as promoting youth humanitarian education. Her scores of honors include the Gandhi-King Award for Non-Violence, not only for her scientific research, but also for her diligent humanitarian work. In April 2002 Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations appointed Dr. Goodall to serve as a United Nations “Messenger of Peace.”

At the end of 2005, in cooperation with Gary McAvoy and Gail Hudson, Dr. Goodall published her book on food, “Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating.” This book is another indication that the consciousness of humankind is being raised through the grace of God’s elevating work on our planet.

In this book, from the point view of a scientist, she urges people to take a hard look at the food we produce and consume. She shows us how easy it is to create positive changes for the future of our children and the planet. She urges positive changes such as eating vegetarian foods and favoring restaurants and markets which use locally-grown organic produce and goods. Goodall takes readers from the early history of agriculture, through the mismanagement of crop farming to today’s genetically modified foods and the horrors of today’s factory farms.

Readers will find advice on how to change their lifestyles as well as how to demand systemic change such as improving labeling of organic foods and better water conservation. Perhaps, more importantly, readers will discover that  eating mindfully and properly will bring extraordinary benefits to individuals and the whole world.

“One is the environment,” Dr. Goodall explains. “Huge areas of fertile forest are being cut down to provide grazing for cattle. As people are getting more prosperous they’re demanding more meat. Secondly, what we eat affects animal welfare. And third, the effect of our food on human health; you’ve only got to think of the obesity epidemic, all the allergies produced by the pollution of food from agricultural chemicals.” “A heavy meat-eating diet is something to be avoided. It’s not good for us to eat lots and lots of meat anyway, but also if we’re buying these factory-farm animals, they’ve got residual antibiotics, and they’ve got hormones in them. And for me, knowing how the animals are treated, the piece of meat on the plate symbolizes fear, pain and death.” She also believes that the vegetarian diet gives her so much more energy even now that she is 71 years old. “Since 1986 I have been traveling three hundred days a year, lecturing, going to meetings, lobbying, teaching, and so on. Never in one place for more than three weeks consecutively and usually only a few days. I honestly don’t think I could have maintained this pace when I was thirty years old and I believe that giving up meat is the reason why I can today.”

Through another best selling book, “Reason for Hope,” she shares her personal inner world with the public and answers people’s questions about where her energy comes from, why she always looks so peaceful. In this book, she mentions one of her experiences while visiting a church; she heard inner music that brought her to a state of feeling the eternal inebriation. She believes this inner spiritual experience and her other peaceful inner sound experiences connected her with the God’s power, inspiring her to work as a God’s messenger, to spread the word that human beings should set up a proper relationship with the animal kingdom. So it is her strong faith in God and her pure loving heart toward all beings that helps her to do this unconditional selfless work for the world. Reading this book, we can find many clues of her enlightened understanding in her science research and in her own spiritual journey.

Jane is a wonderful example of a person who is loving, courageous, humble and unconditional in serving the world because of her strong faith of God. Even though she is frustrated sometimes by the reality of the world, she still keeps trying her best to make it a better place and spread the word of hope for the future. Her efforts has borne fruits and the nonprofit Jane Goodall Institute has empowered many people around the world to make a difference for all living things by creating healthy ecosystems and promoting sustainable livelihoods.

References:
http://www.janegoodall.org
“Harvest for Hope”, Jane Goodall with Gary McAvoy and Gail Hudson
“Reason for Hope”, Jane Goodall with Phillip Berman  

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