Science & Tech, Home & Lifestyle, Community & Government

Reasons for Hope (Cont'd)

Lesson time 09:43 min

Dr. Jane ends her MasterClass by reminding us that our work has just begun—and that our greatest tool for creating change is the one that we all share: the indomitable human spirit.

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Topics include: The Indomitable Human Spirit • A Call to Action

Preview

Finally, there's what I call the indomitable human spirit, and there are icons out there illustrating the indomitable human spirit. So when I first got to Cape Town, it was the height of apartheid. Nelson Mandela was already imprisoned. And now, of course, thanks in large part to Nelson Mandela and that indomitable spirit that wouldn't give up, apartheid has ended in South Africa. Is there still racial discrimination? Yes, there is racial discrimination just about everywhere. But at least the ugly regime of apartheid is ended. And so I carry around with me a little piece of the limestone from the quarry where Nelson Mandela was forced to physical labor for 11 of his 27 years of imprisonment in Robben Island. And this little piece of limestone, for me, is very precious because it illustrates that indomitable spirit. And there are people I know with tremendous physical disabilities who lead lives that are so inspirational. So I met one of them just four days ago. Chris Koch, he's a Canadian. He was born with no legs, just one sort of. I don't know. It's about this long, coming out of his thigh. His arms come to here. He has no hands. And this incredible man, he's so full of life. He goes around the world on a skateboard. He kicks off with the little limb that he has. And children come, and at first, they're a bit scared. And then he goes to places like Cambodia, Vietnam, and he showed me photographs. And as he goes along the street, the children follow him as though he's a Pied Piper. And they cluster around him, and they're amazed. And this indomitable spirit shines through. He's so full of life. And he said, I was put together this way for a reason, and I'm going to help others who have disabilities to understand that this is not the end. And I'm going to help people who don't have disabilities to stop pitying and to realize that we disabled people have a role to play. I met another extraordinary person who lost a leg and an arm because a landmine exploded in Cambodia. He was there in the armed forces. And so he had always wanted to run marathons, and he overcame the pain in his legs. He began running marathons, and he actually ran the most tough marathon in the world on his prosthetic leg. And that is the marathon across the Sahara Desert. Unbelievable that you can run across the Sahara Desert, and this is the piece of the sock that he put over the stump on his leg to stop the sand from rubbing him raw. What an amazing man. And at the same time, I've got this little bell. And this bell is made from a landmine that was diffused in Cambodia. And it's something that I ring on the International Day of Peace. And something else that's amazing. This indomitable human spirit that's able to tackle everything, and giant forest rats have been trained. And I've met them, and I've seen the trainer. ...

About the Instructor

There is still a window of time. Nature can win if we give her a chance. In her first ever online class, Dr. Jane Goodall teaches how you can conserve the environment. She also shares her research on the behavioral patterns of chimpanzees and what they taught her about conservation. You'll learn how to act locally and protect the planet.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Dr. Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall shares her insights into animal intelligence, conservation, and activism.

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