Every single one of us is here for a reason and has something to do.
For those of you who’ve been here before, you know that I’m Olivia S. Benson and I am the author of two books. One is For the Love of My Father, which is a spiritual guide for women healing from the absence of a father — and basically, for me, a book about healing daddy issues. But the book I want to talk about today is Answers from Within, a spiritual guide for finding answers to work-life issues.
And the reason I want to speak about it today is because Jane Goodall, who some of you might know — I love her. I followed her over the years, and as she did work in different countries in Africa, she did conservation work, animal rights work. She’s been someone who’s spearheaded conservation in many different ways, and also issues related to climate and other issues with the imbalance on the planet. Love her, love her, love her.
She recorded a message before she died
But she passed away on October 1st, and she did something super, super interesting. She recorded an interview and a message before she died, which was only supposed to be released after she died. And in fact, she died on October 1st and it was released thereafter. Now, it’s fully available on Netflix, but if you’re following my channels, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter — where else am I? Everywhere else, TikTok — you will see that I have posted clips of that interview. It’s been on the internet, but I have shown different clips.
But the part that’s most interesting for me: she did the interview with a reporter, and then at a certain point, I guess it was prearranged, the reporter left and she gave her message. And the most important thing about the message was that she said every single one of us matter, that every one of us is important, that every single one of us is here for a reason and has something to do, that we have gifts and we have talents, and that it is a gift when we have the opportunity to live out our lives based on finding what our gifts and talents are.
She also said something very important. She says, don’t lose hope. And here we’re talking about a woman who’s 91 years old, who had obviously been through many, many things and was living through it. And if you watch the interview, watch the clips, she’s well aware of what’s going on in the world as it relates to animal rights or the planet and the environment and things like that. She’s actually very, very funny. So I encourage you to take a look at the video.
That kind of energy is the energy that each human being possesses
And she says, don’t lose hope. There will be a time where things will change. But the thing is that we each have something to bring to the table. And that is exactly my message in Answers from Within.
You know, it’s interesting, because this image that I use on Answers from Within is basically sort of like my artistic interpretation of an atomic explosion. And that atomic explosion, that kind of energy, is the energy that each human being possesses. There’s a part in the book that talks about how much energy each human being possesses, and that’s what I represent with this particular image.
So Jane says, we’re here, we have gifts, we have talents, we have things to offer. And we need, and the earth needs us, to do what we’re here to do. That is also my message in Answers from Within.
Who am I? Why am I here?
The quest in my life was — and it was a puzzle for many years — and I synthesized it down to this. Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? And who’s going with me? Those are the questions of life. And there’s a certain joy that comes with finding out what your gifts and talents are.
Jane Goodall, I mean, she literally can rest in peace. She did everything that she wanted to do, everything that she could do, everything that she was gifted to do. And she certainly was a blessing to the planet. She brought such light on many subjects relating to primates and other animals, and even in general to life in Africa. And she was a woman that went into Africa at a time where — she was born in England, and she moved to different parts of Africa, let’s say, and lived in circumstances where many other women would never have gone.
Your life matters and you are here for a reason
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 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 are 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, where 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 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 that you find after you die.
Above all, I want you to think about the fact that 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 a gift. You’re here to make a difference.
She was an inspiration, and she even at the end provided us with another gift, an interview that’s to be aired after her passing. And in that interview she says, we matter. Don’t lose hope. You have a gift. You’re here to make a difference. Find out what it is and help to make the planet better.
That is my thought. Those are my thoughts with regards to our giftedness, our purpose, and finding happiness. We are here to do something, and I share my journey and show you how it’s possible for you to find your place, your work, how to find answers to your work-life issues, how to find joy. That is the key.
I’m Olivia S. Benson. The book is Answers from Within. It’s available on Amazon, and the other book is also available on Amazon, For the Love of My Father. Thank you.