Reason for hope

Reason for hope

Posted By: Agbo Agbo In: Campus Life 

The year was 1981, and I was seated in front of our black and white television set with my father. We were watching an exciting documentary from National Geographic channel on NTA Jos. There was no satellite/cable TV way back then then so we relied solely on the NTA which begins broadcast by 4pm and closes by 12 am. The documentary was about a young lady deep in the forest of Gombe, Tanzania; she was studying the ways of Chimpanzee. In my young mind, I wondered what a beautiful young lady would be doing sitting from sunrise to sunset simply observing chimpanzees.

That documentary brought me into the world of Dr. Jane Goodall – for the first time. I have been fascinated by Goodall ever since and have to admit, I didn’t know the details of her life until over ten years later through a book. As a lover of animals and nature I began seeing more of Dr. Goodall when satellite TV came on board through NatGeo Wild channel.

In the book “Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey” – which I “borrowed” as title for this article, I learned about Jane and her revolutionary studies of  chimpanzees which forever altered our definition of “humanity.” In this intriguing book, Jane Goodall explores her deepest conviction that takes her from the comfort of her London home to the forests of Tanzania.

When I partially read the book my mind flashed back to the documentary and to the unforgettable moment when a wild chimpanzee gently grasps her hand. The baby chimp first touched her nose, ran away, came back and touch again before grasping her hand. The fact that she comes each day to simply sit and observe perhaps made the chimps to trust her and take her as “one of them.”

Another reassuring message of her book was the sorrow over her husband’s death. Here, she thoughtfully explored the challenges of both science and the soul; she offers an inspiring, optimistic message as profound as the knowledge she brought back from the forests and that gives reason for hope. From her childhood, to how she was chosen to observe the Chimps and what those initial goals were, to how she experienced nature and the chimps.

Her insights into spirituality and human moral evolution set her stories brimming with emotion and her philosophical views so unpretentious and calming that one has the impression of sitting cozily with a friend. Dr. Goodall portrays the events of her life as building upon each other and pointing her directly toward Africa, chimpanzees, and her work in environmental preservation.

Early on she felt a deep empathy for animals and a desire to study them unobtrusively in their natural habitats. She relates a delightful memory of hiding out in the straw of a henhouse at the age of four to experience first-hand how a chicken lays an egg.

When Dr. Louis Leakey offered her a job studying the chimpanzees of Tanzania, it began what later became her life’s work. Her chimpanzee observations are captivating, as are the comparisons between them and humans. The chimpanzees have tender, caring relationships, but can also be ruthless toward members of the “outgroup.” She sees human precursors to both altruism and savage brutality in the chimpanzees.

Religion and spirituality factor greatly in Goodall’s life. She feels God all around her, but especially in the jungles of Africa. What makes her book such a delight is her unbridled, intelligent optimism.

Although deeply affected by the genocide, terrorism, animal cruelty, deforestation, and other horrors of our age, she has faith in the potential goodness of the human race, and in the benevolence of God. Her strong views are delivered so rationally, and in such a serene way, that not a trace of condescension or bitterness shows through. She is a beautiful role model for these sometimes ugly days.

I share her optimism, especially in times like this in our nation. There’s so much hatred and bitterness around us that sometimes scares me; and this is more evident on social media where the hate and misinformation is sometimes palpable. A friend called me after Nigeria’s 4-0 defeat over Cameroon and said we’ve simply lost it. Surprised, I said wasn’t he happy we won? That wasn’t the issue, he said, but the fact that some people input the ethnic origins of the players together to justify the need for the restructuring of the country, is the issue!

I understood where he was coming from and going. I know people who deliberately avoid the social media, not because they’re “old school,” but because of the immaturity of most people. If you’re to believe everything you see or read there, we’d be at war right now. The social media – to me – should serve as a barometer on how to measure the mood of people. In the past we wouldn’t have known how bitter people were because there were no platforms to “vent their bitterness,” now they can do this at the touch of a button.

This notwithstanding, social media has its importance and has become an important part of our lives. We can be constantly informed on anything and everything. That’s the positive part, but the thing is today’s society has taken it too far. Children nowadays are spending way too much time online. Many don’t study, don’t go out, and don’t even talk to their own family members.

All they care about is getting likes, being informed on the latest trend and immediately fall in love with it because, well it’s what everyone else likes. They get their self-esteem off of fake Facebook and Instagram likes. Its little wonder that today’s youth has turned into this big crowd with no diversity. Where there’s diversity, it’s probably rallying round divisive figures with some utopian belief to share.

This has really affected character. We have lost the appreciation to uniqueness and the imperfect. All we want is the conventionally praised perfection. I find that sad. Social media is social; it depends on other people’s influence on your life and your influence on their lives. That is what scares me and that is what should scare you, it is based on others rather than yourself. What it is essentially doing is turning us all into robots that are constantly worrying about others rather than ourselves.

Let me use an American example to make a point. According to ProCon.org, in the month of July 2012 alone, Americans spent 74 billion minutes on social media via computer, 40.8 billion via apps and 5.7 billion via mobile web browser; that’s a total of over 2 billion cumulative hours Americans spent in a single month on these social media platforms. That’s over 228,000 years’ worth of time spent ‘liking,’ tweeting and commenting within a single month – and that’s only in America!

I believe this can apply to Nigeria as well. Some look for possible excuses to take time off from what actually need to get done and waste time on something that has no relevance. Think about how many times you have sat there and had a task you had to do, but instead wasted hours checking the same feed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram?

What social media brings us is a recess, and we constantly spend hours of our precious time on something that is artificially created by people who are sometimes imaginary people. Of course, that’s not to say there are no good uses of social media, that’s certainly not the point as there are.

Prof Pat Utomi left social media platforms after his accounts were hacked and used to send anti-government messages. He had to come out to let Nigerians know he wasn’t the one sending the messages. After that, he excused himself from social media until such lapses are corrected by providers. He came out recently again to draw attention to a fake facebook purportedly opened by him soliciting for funds.

Our challenge is to call out such individuals and those spreading divisive messages on social media and believe – like Jane Goodall did – that there’s a reason for hope.

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