The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times(35)
Jane leaned forward and stirred the dimming embers of our fire, and we watched the flames brighten again.
“And there’s another thing,” Jane said, as she settled back in her chair. “A number of those Roots & Shoots alumni I was talking about have gone into politics. And others are businesspeople, journalists, teachers, gardeners, urban planners, parents—you name it. Many are now working for the environment in some capacity—including the minister of the environment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who had been in a Roots & Shoots group at school. He is really trying to curb the illegal bushmeat trade and animal trafficking in his country.”
Three members in Tanzania.This T-shirt epitomizes the Roots & Shoots values. (JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE/CHASE PICKERING)
Jane said that young people today are not just better informed but they’re becoming more engaged in decision-making and in the political process. Roots & Shoots, for example, is more than an environmental program. It’s actually teaching people the values of participation and democracy. Joint discussions, joint decisions, doing things together.
“The full impact of youth empowerment programs in these countries hasn’t become apparent,” she said. “Yet.”
Jane’s “yet” was a powerful reminder that even the most hopeless circumstances can, in time, change.
It also reminded me of Stanford professor Carol Dweck’s use of the words “not yet” to identify a growth mindset, or the belief that we can change and grow. Children—and adults—who have a growth mindset are much more successful than those who have a fixed mindset about themselves and the world. But could small educational programs really stand up to the might of totalitarian regimes and vested business interests?
“In many countries,” I said, “you can’t fight the government or speak out against injustice for fear you’ll get put in prison or killed. What do you say to young people in these countries?”
“I tell them that while they will have to live with the existing system, they can still hang on to their values, make some small difference every day, and maintain their hopes for a better future.”
It was almost as if Jane was saying that our collective hopes and dreams, even when they cannot be realized, have power, perhaps waiting for the right time to be realized. Even so, my New York skepticism was triggered. “That’s wonderful, but doesn’t it feel like a drop in the ocean, given the overwhelming autocracy or tyranny that people are facing around the world?”
“But millions of drops actually make the ocean.”
I smiled. Hope, checkmate.
Nurturing the Future
It was getting toward evening, the sun sinking fast, as I continued to think about all the major problems that had been denied or ignored for so many years. Of all the people who denied climate change, of cultures that taught children that boys were superior to girls, of all the misguided adults who taught children that some races or groups were better than others. How fear, prejudice, and hatred can be taught as easily as courage, equality, and love. “So how do we change these entrenched worldviews fast enough?” I asked.
“Oh, Doug, I honestly don’t know. My hope is that there are more and more people who are concerned, more and more programs working on these issues. Trying to alleviate poverty, improve social justice, fight for human and animal rights. And more and more children are becoming involved when they are very young.”
She paused to reflect, and soon her eyes lit up with another hopeful story.
“I’m thinking of Genesis,” she said, “a young American girl, whose favorite food, when she was six years old, was chicken nuggets. One day she asked where they came from. Her mother tried to fob her off, telling her they came from the store. ‘But where does the store get them?’ So her mother told her and not only did Genesis stop eating her favorite food, but she found out as much as she could and now, aged thirteen, she gives talks about the importance—for animals, the environment, and human health—of becoming vegan. There are so many examples of very young children becoming activists. And those who are most committed and successful usually have supportive parents.”
Once again, I thought about my own children and wondered how my own actions affected their worldviews. “How do we as parents nurture our children to be hopeful and to be ready for the future they will encounter?”
“To begin with, I learned from the chimps the importance of the first couple of years of life,” Jane replied. “After sixty years of research it is very clear that the young chimps who had supportive mothers have tended to be the most successful. The males got higher in the dominance hierarchy—they were more self-confident and tended to sire more offspring—and the females were better mothers.”
“So how would we translate that into human parenting?” I asked Jane.
“Well, it’s not that different. I also did quite a bit of research on raising human infants when I was working on my Ph.D. thesis. And it is obvious that what is important for our children is that during the first couple of years they receive care and love from at least one person who is always there for them. They need reliable and supportive caregiving. And it does not have to be the biological mother or father, or even a family member.”
“So many parents think that supportive parenting means permissive parenting,” I said. “Where does discipline come in?”