Jane Goodall on Peace

This note with a prayer for peace written by Jane Goodall was sent to me recently by a friend, Patricia Summers of Colorado. Jane Goodall as you likely know, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. She is considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. Goodall is best known for her over 55-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots program. She has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. In April 2002, she was named a UN Messenger of Peace.

The prayer in her hand-written note above reads as follows:

We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving and the strength we gain in loving;

That we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;

That we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;

That we may learn to rejoice in our being.

We pray for these things with humility.

We pray because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.

We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in God.

We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.

~ Prayer for World Peace - Dr. Jane Goodall

In this prayer Jane demonstrates that she knows very well the connection between inner peace and world peace. Her peace prayer outlines an inner perspective and way of approaching life from within ourselves, and then moves out from that place to address the peace we desire in the world.

Please share your thoughts on this prayer in the comments!

Image of Jane Goodall courtesy of www.sommer-in-hamburg.de on Flikr