Jane Goodall and Fundamentalism

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2009-12-06 09:00:00 UTC
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Last month on the Daily Show, Jane Goodall talked about how she had been criticized for having a non-vegan cake with a wax candle on it for her 75th birthday (see video below). This is a woman who has devoted her life to saving animals, who is probably the sole reason a number of species are still around today, and who has single-handedly raised awareness for over fifty years on how much we have in common with animals and how much human actions impact them.

Not only does she accomplish more each year than most other people will in a lifetime, she does it with  compassion and humility. Jane Goodall is a true role model: she does what she does because it's part of who she is, not because it's what others define as "right." She's too busy walking the walk of "peace and harmony with each other and with nature" to even react to her critics. If she'd had a vegan cake and soy candle, I doubt she would have sent out a press release.

There's a lot in the world that needs to be fixed and, personally, I hope Dr. Goodall keeps celebrating birthdays, however she sees fit, for a long time -- and I'll bet most of the animal world agrees with me.


Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
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