Let me conclude with a little story […] I know you are very well informed, and you probably think, what can we do? I like to tell the story of the Hummingbird because, quite often, we feel overwhelmed.
This story of the hummingbird which I learnt from Japan, is the story of a forest that caught fire. And it was a huge fire. It was raging.
All the animals came out of the forest and stood by the edge of the forest. And they were watching the fire. They were very overwhelmed, they felt powerless, they felt like there was nothing they could do, because the problem was too much for them.
Except this little hummingbird. The hummingbird said: “I am going to do something about the fire.”
So, it flew to the nearest stream, took a drop of water, flew back and put it on the fire. Then, back again. It brought another drop of water and put it on the fire. And it kept going as fast as it could. Every time, bringing a drop of water and putting it on the fire!
In the meantime, all the animals are discouraging it, persuading it not to bother because it is too little. “You have a beak that is too little, you are bringing very little water!” And some of the animals that are talking like that are the elephants with big trunks which could bring much more water! But the hummingbird just kept doing what it knew best, without wasting any time.
And, to stop them when they said: “What do you think you are doing?”
The hummingbird said: “I am doing the best I can.”
For me, and I hope for you, that’s all we can do! Whoever we are, whatever we are, there is something in our lives that we can do, no matter how small it is. Collectively, it will make a difference! So, be a hummingbird in your community, wherever you are!
Words from Wangari Maathai, shared during a talk supported by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), on March 12, 2007 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHtFM1XEXas).
Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan activist. She founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental NGO dedicated to tree planting, conservation, and promoting women’s rights. In 2004, she received the Nobel Peace Prize