Growing a heart takes time

I’ve come to know Jane Goodall recently. She had invested five decades (50 years) of her life to wildlife research, education and conservation of the chimpanzees in Gombe. Gombe is in Africa. Throughout her years of growing up, she had grew to love animals. 

I would like to share part of her story of growing her heart for animals.

On one occasion, Vanne returned home during the war years to find the house curiously empty; everyone, she soon learned, was out searching for young Jane, who at this point had been missing for several hours. 

By seven o’clock that evening, expressions were turning grave. “I don’t remember who saw her first – a small, disheveled figure coming a little wearily over the tussocky field by the hen houses,” Vanne wrote. “There were bits of straw in her hair and on her clothes, but her eyes, dark ringed with fatigue, were shining. ‘She’s found,’ someone called out and soon the searchers were all back and gathered around Jane in the stable yard. 

‘Wherever have you been?’

‘With a hen.’

‘But you’ve been away for nearly five hours. What can you possibly have been doing with a hen all that time?

‘Well, you see, I had to find out how hens lay eggs, so I went into the empty coop and sat in the corner and waited until a hen came in who didn’t mind me there.’

‘So, then what happenened?’

‘A hen came at last.’ Jane’s eyes glowed with inner radiance. 
‘It was a long time, but she came at last and then she laid an egg. I saw her. So now I know how a hen lays an egg.’

 Dusk was fast gathering under the trees as we made out way back to the house. I had Jane firmly by the hand. She had just spent five hours crouched double in a stuffy hen coop, but the result had made it all worthwhile. She had successfully, and to her own entire satisfaction, completed her first animal-research program. She had observed a hen laid an egg.”

I want to highlight Jane’s perseverance, patience and hope, to build that bond with animals. Her heart grew so much for the animals, that investing her life is all worthwhile. I learned and reminded by TWO THINGS.

· To grow a heart for people takes time.
· To build trust from people takes risk and sacrifice.

We can learn so much by observing how nature worked around us. Through that, we also will learn to be better human.

Will we be willing to spend SO MUCH TIME to grow a heart for people? Will we be willing to take the risk of being a listening ear or to even share our lives with people? Will we be willing to sacrifice for people? Will we take that step forward and laid ourselves for people? 

  

How can I grow a heart for people? Start by thinking what is it like in their shoes. Start by listening to them rather than condemning. Start with pure motives to build relationships with people, and to grow a heart that accept diversity and differences.

Maybe when we start to grow a heart for people and maybe when we start to take risks and sacrifices to build trust, then something we will witness something beautiful. Just like Jane, who had witness how a hen lay an egg.

“So, let us move forward with faith in ourselves, in our intelligence, in our indomitable spirit. Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love.” –Jane Goodall-

(From the book Jane Goodall by Her Mother, Vanne Goodall)