Table of Contents
An Invitation to Hope 11
I What is Hope?
Whisky and Swahili Bean Sauce 21
Is Hope Real? 28
Have You Ever Lost Hope? 32
Can Science Explain Hope? 54
How Do We Have Hope in Trying Times? 60
II Jane's Four Reasons for Hope
Reason 1 The Amazing Human
Intellect 73
From Prehistoric Ape to Master of the World 77
Half Sinner, Half Saint 83
A New Universal Moral Code 90
The Wise? Ape 97
Reason 2 The Resilience of Nature 105
Eco-Grief 116
The Will to Live 126
Adapt or Perish 132
Nurturing Mother Nature 135
Rescued from the Brink 141
The Tapestry of Life 148
Our Need for Nature 160
Reason 3 The Power of Young People 169
Love in a Hopeless Place 179
"I Don't Want Your Hope" 190
Millions of Drops Make an Ocean 196
Nurturing the Future 201
Reason 4 The Indomitable
Human Spirit 213
When I Decide to Climb Everest 217
The Spirit That Never Surrenders 225
Nurturing the Indomitable Spirit in Children 237
How the Indomitable Human Spirit Helps Us Heal 240
We Need Each Other 246
III Becoming a Messenger of Hope
A Lifelong Journey 257
Challenges in Africa 283
From Shy Young Woman to Global Public Speaker 286
"Let's Just Say It Was a Mission" 290
Was It Coincidence? 296
Spiritual Evolution 302
Jane's Next Great Adventure 310
Conclusion: A Message of Hope from Jane 323
Acknowledgments 339
Further Reading 349