Oh dear friends, it’s been a week of loss – first Jane Goodall, luminous ambassador for the Gombe and our kin the chimpanzees, and then Manchan Magan, illuminator of Irish land, language, and culture. Both worked in settings where the most precious elements had been exploited and endangered, and both knew the full costs of this mistreatment and misunderstanding. Yet both came out the other side of that pain, determined to share their deepest love and understanding, sure in the knowledge that a place that is loved is a place that will be valued.

Manchan’s final RTE interview noted that we’re in a time of great change, one of reconnection with land and story and language.

Jane’s final message encourages, don’t give up.

Dear ones, let’s root ourselves in our love of the world.

Let’s reconnect.

Let’s not give up.

One of my favorite recordings of Manchan is this podcast episode where he’s in conversation with the extraordinary Tyson Yunkaporta. Manchan’s book Thirty-Two Words for Field is a favorite, as is Tyson’s Sand Talk. 

Jane Goodall’s final message can be seen on her Institute’s site, and her book Reason for Hope is currently free in its e-version.