A tale of two speakers

I would like to discuss two elderly people, one still alive at age 79, the other recently deceased at age 91. The first individual is male, incredibly powerful globally (and in his own mind) whose rambling incoherencies leave listeners wondering about his mental stability. The other person, a female, died a few days ago while delivering one of over 300 talks she gives each year — talks which bring clarity, scientific accuracy and joy to the listeners. Recently, the male speaker spoke to some 800 top generals and admirals for seventy minutes. I am really glad this happened because it gave this group of powerful men and women the chance to develop a better opinion of their "Commander-in-Chief." Hopefully, these new opinions may lead them to question as a group the ability of the speaker to make potentially critical military decisions. The United Nations designated the second speaker, Dr. Jane Goodall, a "Messenger of Peace" in 2002 and, upon her death, proclaimed she "worked tirelessly for our planet and all its inhabitants, leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity and nature." When I started graduate school in 1962 I was studying animal behavior, specifically in birds. Though far from Goodall's work with chimpanzees, all of my fellow behaviorists knew about her. We knew she went alone to the Gombe Reserve in Tanzania in 1960 at age 26; there she totally changed the face of primate behavior studies. Rather than watching the chimps from a distance, she actually joined them — befriended them and became a part of their society. For the first time in scientific history she saw the chimps both make and use tools, behaviors that were believed to be only done by humans. Goodall, to the scorn of many scientists, described these animals as having many of the same emotions and feelings as humans, thus blurring the separation between the two groups. She revolutionized science, and I, along with my young colleagues, were totally in love with this amazing young woman. Oh, she did this amazing work with no formal education — not until later did she go to graduate school and earn her doctorate. Her Gombe Reserve continues to produce important scientific information. It is the site of the most detailed study of animal behavior anywhere in the world. The Jane Goodall Institute (1977) devotes its efforts to wildlife conservation, especially integrating the local human populations into the regional natural resources. Her hugely successful Roots & Shoots environmental program for children (1991) is found in 140 countries and involves more than 150,000 young people from ages four to eighteen. Our male speaker, however, is cutting numerous important programs in health and education for children across the country as well as devastating the resources of America by defunding most renewable energy projects and insisting on drilling and digging on federal preserves. He absolutely denies the reality of climate change. Conversely, Goodall has stated, "Isn't it bizarre that the most intellectual creature ever to walk the planet is destroying its only home? It seems to me there's a disconnect between this extremely intellectual mind and the human heart, which is love and compassion." One of our speakers actively seeks the Nobel Peace Prize; one of our speakers totally deserves it. Bob Murray is a local guest columnist.