Over my own lifetime, I have had a huge appreciation for this world we’ve been handed to steward and do with as we wish. And it’s always been my wish that we as humans across the globe always wish and choose wisely, if only that all life survives and thrives.

This isn’t a communist or capitalist – left-right – issue, since the health of the Earth and our environment has a marked, significant effect on all life on the planet, and it’s just pure old, good and simple common-sense that we should all do our utmost best to keep the environment as pure and clean as possible for the sake of future generations and humanity overall.

But curiously, if one does their due diligence, one will find that historically, it is the developed, capitalist nations of the globe that have the best track record for protecting wildlife and the environment.

The following is a tribute to one of the most amazing women I have never had the opportunity to meet, a lady I would have given my eye-teeth to have met in my early manhood days. She is the sort of lady who provides inspiration to all to be better than the person you were yesterday, to do better for those you may leave behind upon your own death. ~ J.O.S. 

She walked softly, not because the world was fragile – but because it was alive. Every leaf, every gaze from a chimp’s eyes, every whisper of wind through Gombe’s jungle canopy was, to her, a conversation worth having.

On October 1st, 2025, the world lost one of its most beloved voices for nature. Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE – primatologist, ethologist, and tireless advocate for conservation – passed away at the age of 91. Her death marked the end of an era, but not the end of her influence. Days later, Netflix released Famous Last Words, a posthumous documentary filmed in secret earlier in March of this year. In it, Goodall sits alone on a quiet stage, sipping whiskey, speaking candidly to Emmy-winning producer Brad Falchuk – and ultimately, to all of us.

The documentary is not a eulogy. It is a conversation. A reckoning. A love letter to the Earth and its creatures. And above all, it is a reminder that legacy is not built on perfection, but on purpose.

She did not conquer nature. She listened to it. And in that listening, she taught the rest of us how to hear.

This was her path and a way of life that was chosen by Ms Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall – Doctor Goodall – who loved all of Nature and all Her creatures created by God.

It is well-documented that Jane was raised as a Christian, but as she grew older, her spirituality grew and she came to see a “Great Spirit in Whom we live and move and have our being, somewhat adopting a panentheistic view that God is both within and beyond creation. She would later describe her faith as being a blend of traditional Christianity and a deep spiritual connection with nature, that was influenced and shaped by her many long years of living among the chimpanzees and observing the intricate web of life.

And, from Goodall’s perspective there wasn’t anything contradictory between science and faith, even when one considered evolution. She contended that the theory of evolution and her Christian worldview were compatible, with each offering insights into the mystery of life. She once noted: “There is no conflict between science and religion – only when people interpret religious texts too literally.”

From her obituary:

“Dr. Jane was known around the world for her 65-year study of wild chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania. However, in the latter part of her life she expanded her focus and became a global advocate for human rights, animal welfare, species and environmental protection, and many other crucial issues.

Jane was passionate about empowering young people to become involved in conservation and humanitarian projects and she led many educational initiatives focused on both wild and captive chimpanzees. She was always guided by her fascination with the mysteries of evolution, and her staunch belief in the fundamental need to respect all forms of life on Earth.”

Hers was a life that I and many others found incredible, amazing, courageous and beautiful and outstanding in her pursuits, goals and mission overall. I was in my early teens – thirteen in 1970 to be exact – when I first became familiar with the work she was undertaking to study and save the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas of the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania on the African continent, work that had already been underway for a decade by that time.

Ms Goodall stands apart and at a level above the marveled, excellent accomplishments of other conservators of nature, such as the wonderful Marlin Perkins who worked with all manner of wildlife across the globe and marine biologist Jacques Cousteau. She was a one of a kind.

Born in London on April 3rd 1934, Jane Goodall’s fascination with animals began early. As a child, she spent hours observing birds and insects, and once hid in a henhouse for hours to see how chickens laid eggs. Her mother, Vanne, nurtured this curiosity rather than suppress it—a rare gift in a post-war world that often discouraged girls from scientific pursuits.

In 1960, at age 26, Goodall arrived in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. With no formal scientific training, she began observing chimpanzees in the wild. Her methods were unconventional: she named the chimps, noted their personalities, and recorded behaviors that challenged prevailing scientific dogma. Most famously, she discovered that chimpanzees used tools — a revelation that forced scientists to reconsider the boundaries between humans and other animals.

Her work led to the founding of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), and she became a UN Messenger of Peace. But her mission extended beyond science. She became a global advocate for conservation, animal welfare, and youth empowerment through her Roots & Shoots program.

Ms Goodall was an excellent writer and a fine, charismatic speaker. She wrote reams of words filling papers and books, and others have written voluminous works about her and her works, as well. Much remains to be written about her, since so much of her life was lived in the eye of readers and people sitting before their televisions, as she became a star of sorts through the work of her film-making husband, Baron Hugo-Eric Louis van Lawick, and the National Geographic society. I grew up watching documentaries about her, as well as other famous people working to conserve, preserve and save various aspects of nature and wildlife across the globe.

Ms Goodall brought forth a new paradigm in primatology, because she recognized the individual nature and character of each chimpanzee she encountered in the wild and the unique sociability of chimps and their culture which in many respects paralled human behaviors. She was the first to recognize their ability to use tools, as she also studied the more aggressive side of their nature. After she published ‘In the Shadow of Man’ in 1971, not only was she seen as a scientific rebel and innovator, she became a star of the global conservation movement.

I remember, back during my time at Middle Tennessee State University studying anthropology, under the steady voice of Dr. Wolf, learning the bones of our ancestors, the myths of our migrations, the sacred geometry of kinship and fire. But it was Jane who reminded me that science without soul is just data, and that to truly know a creature is to love it without needing to own it.

She was no perfect prophet. She believed in the good of all people, even when the world proved otherwise. She trusted in the power of stories, even when the algorithms drowned them out. She drank whiskey on a quiet stage and spoke of clouds and Tarzan and regrets – and still, she made us believe that hope was not naïve, but necessary.

I do not agree with all her politics. But I agree with her heart. And that is the deeper truth.

But, she did reveal herself to be all too human as she spoke to Falchuk about people she disliked and wanting to put them on a spaceship for the planet Musk believed he would discover. Somewhat humorously, she also revealed her decidedly leftist leanings in the process, as she – an equal opportunity hater – stated:

“Along with Musk, would be Trump, and some of Trump’s real supporters. And then I would put [Russian President Vladimir] Putin in there, and I would put President Xi. I’d certainly put [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu in there and his far-right government.”

Goodall’s politics were often misunderstood. She was criticized by some for aligning with environmental movements that leaned heavily on technological solutions to climate change. But her heart was always in the right place. She may have underestimated the role of capitalism in conservation, but she never underestimated the power of compassion.

When producer Brad Falchuk asked Dr Goodall, “Who would you say you were”, in the context that there would be millions of people offering opinions about her nature, character and work, she responded with the following:

“I would say I was somebody sent to this world to try to give people hope in dark times, because without hope, we fall into apathy and doing nothing. And in the dark times that we are living in now, if people don’t have hope we’re doomed.

And how can we bring little children into this dark world we’ve created, and let them be surrounded by people who’ve given up? So even … even if this is the end of humanity as we know it, let’s fight to the very end. Let’s let the children know, you know, that there is hope if they get together. And even if it becomes impossible for anybody, it’s better to go on fighting to the end than just to give up and say ‘Okay’.“

Famous Last Words is unlike any other documentary. It’s not polished or performative. It’s raw. Goodall, knowing the footage would only air after her death, speaks with unfiltered honesty. She jokes about Tarzan (“his Jane was a real wimp”) – after she loosened up with a pour of whiskey and shared a toast with Falchuk – reflects on her ex-husbands, and shares regrets she never voiced to her family. She talks about mortality, spirituality, and the “cloud contingent” she hopes will greet her in the afterlife.

The interview was filmed on an empty stage, with remotely operated cameras. Falchuk, the only other person present, later described her demeanor as “fearless, humorous, and joyful – even in the face of death”.

Toward the end, Falchuk leaves the stage, and Goodall turns to the camera.

Her final message is delivered directly to the viewer, unedited:

“In the place where I am now, I look back over my life. I look back at the world I’ve left behind. What message do I want to leave? I want to make sure that you all understand that each and every one of you has a role to play. You may not know it, you may not find it, but your life matters, and you are here for a reason. And I just hope that reason will become apparent as you live through your life. I want you to know that, whether or not you find that role that you’re supposed to play, your life does matter, and that every single day you live, you make a difference in the world. And you get to choose the difference that you make.

I want you to understand that we are part of the natural world. And even today, when the planet is dark, there still is hope. Don’t lose hope. If you lose hope, you become apathetic and do nothing. And if you want to save what is still beautiful in this world — if you want to save the planet for the future generations, your grandchildren, their grandchildren — then think about the actions you take each day. Because, multiplied a million, a billion times, even small actions will make for great change.

I want to — I just hope that you understand that this life on Planet Earth isn’t the end. I believe, and now I know that there is life beyond death. That consciousness survives.

I can’t tell you, from where I am, secrets that are not mine to share. I can’t tell you what you will find when you leave Planet Earth. But I want you to know that your life on Planet Earth will make some difference in the kind of life you find after you die.

Above all, I want you to think about the fact that we are part — when we’re on Planet Earth — we are part of Mother Nature. We depend on Mother Nature for clean air, for water, for food, for clothing, for everything. And as we destroy one ecosystem after another, as we create worse climate change, worse loss of diversity, we have to do everything in our power to make the world a better place for the children alive today, and for those that will follow.

You have it in your power to make a difference. Don’t give up. There is a future for you. Do your best while you’re still on this beautiful Planet Earth that I look down upon from where I am now. God bless you all.”

Jane’s legacy is not defined by political precision. It is defined by moral clarity. She reminded us that empathy is a scientific tool, and that reverence for life should not be seen as a revolutionary act but as an everyday normal attitude integral to what it means to truly be human.

She taught us that to study life is to love it. That to observe is to honor. And that sometimes, the most radical thing you can do is sit quietly and listen.

Jane Goodall’s final words were not a farewell. They were a call to action. A reminder that every life matters. That every whisper of leaves carries meaning. And that the Earth, though wounded, still sings.

As we move forward, may we carry her voice in our hearts. May we teach our children to love the wild. May we remember that legacy is not built in laboratories or lecture halls – but in the quiet choices we make each day.

And may we, like Jane, live lives worth whispering about across the ages for all time.

October 9, 2025

~ the Author ~
Justin O. Smith Has Lived in Tennessee Off and on Most of His Adult Life, and Graduated From Middle Tennessee State University in 1980, With a B.S. And a Double Major in International Relations and Cultural Geography – Minors in Military Science and English, for What Its Worth. His Real Education Started From That Point on. Smith Is a Frequent Contributor to the Family of Kettle Moraine Publications.