The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times(16)

“When making decisions most people ask, ‘Will it help me or my family now or the next shareholders’ meeting or my next election campaign?’ The hallmark of wisdom is asking, ‘What effects will the decision I make today have on future generations? On the health of the planet?’

“And it’s the same sort of lack of wisdom shown by those in power who suppress certain sections of society—I mean, in America and the UK it is shameful the way certain sections of society are deliberately kept undereducated and underserved. And then the time comes when the resentment and anger of those people finally erupts, and they demand change. They want better wages or better health care or better schools. And this can lead to violence and bloodshed. Think of the French Revolution. And it was people fighting to end slavery that led to the American Civil War. Well, you and I both know of many stories of angry people coming together throughout history and using violence to overthrow oppressive political or social structures.”

I thought about the costs of our lack of wisdom and our attempts to restore and heal from our mistakes. I asked Jane, “Do you think we will ever use our intellect in the right way?”

“Well, I don’t think there will ever be a time when everybody will use it in the right way. There will always be sinners amongst us! But, as I keep saying, more and more people are fighting for justice and, by and large, I think humanity at least has a shared understanding of what justice means.”

We flipped on more lights in the room, as it was now pitch-dark outside and the embers were getting low. Our whisky was finished, but we had one more riddle to solve. How could we use this amazing human intellect wisely? I put this question to Jane.

“Well, if we are ever going to do that—and I’ve already said that I think head and heart must work together—now is the time to prove that we can. Because if we don’t act wisely now to slow down the heating of the planet and the loss of plant and animal life, it may be too late. We need to come together and solve these existential threats to life on Earth. And to do so, we must solve four great challenges—I know these four by heart because I often speak about them in my talks.

“First—we must alleviate poverty. If you are living in crippling poverty, you will cut down the last tree to grow food. Or fish the last fish because you’re desperate to feed your family. In an urban area you will buy the cheapest food—you do not have the luxury of choosing a more ethically produced product.

“Second, we must reduce the unsustainable lifestyles of the affluent. Let’s face it, so many people have way more stuff than they need—or even want.

“Third, we must eliminate corruption, for without good governance and honest leadership, we cannot work together to solve our enormous social and environmental challenges.

“And finally, we must face up to the problems caused by growing populations of humans and their livestock. There are over seven billion of us today, and already, in many places, we have used up nature’s finite natural resources faster than nature can replenish them. And by 2050 there will apparently be closer to ten billion of us. If we carry on with business as usual, that spells the end of life on Earth as we know it.”

“Well, those are daunting challenges,” I said.

“Yes, they are, but they are not insurmountable if we use our human intellect—together with good old common sense—to solve them. And, as I said earlier, we are beginning to make progress. Of course, a great deal of our onslaught on Mother Nature is not really lack of intelligence but a lack of compassion for future generations and the health of the planet: sheer selfish greed for short-term benefits to increase the wealth and power of individuals, corporations, and governments. The rest is due to thoughtlessness, lack of education, and poverty. In other words, there seems to be a disconnect between our clever brain and our compassionate heart. True wisdom requires both thinking with our head and understanding with our heart.”

“Does some of our wisdom get lost when we lose connection with the natural world?” I asked.

“I believe it does. Indigenous cultures have always had a close connection with the natural world. There are so many wise shamans and healers among the indigenous people, so much knowledge about the benefits of living in harmony with the natural world.”


We are learning wonderful things about trees, how they communicate under the ground and even help each other. (JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE/CHASE PICKERING)



“What have we forgotten—or chosen to ignore?”

“That there’s intelligence in all life,” Jane said. “I think indigenous people sense this when they talk about animals and trees being their brothers and sisters. I like to think that our human intellect is part of the Intelligence that led to the creation of the universe. Take the trees! We now know that they can communicate information to one another through underground networks of roots and the thin white threads of the microfungi that are attached to them.”

I was familiar with the work of Suzanne Simard, one of the ecologists who had made this fantastic discovery. She called this network the Wood Wide Web because the trees of a forest are all connected under the ground. And that through this network, trees can receive information about their kinship, their health, and their needs.

Jane and I discussed this exciting research for a while, and she told me about the German forester Peter Wohlleben, who is also educating the world about the little-known secrets of the trees.