Erin Brockovich opens Optometry’s Meeting

Erin Brockovich

SALT LAKE CITY – As the keynote speaker during the Opening General Session here at Optometry's Meeting, Erin Brockovich shared the values that compelled her to help the people of Hinkley, Calif., when she discovered they were being poisoned by their water. The story was chronicled in the movie, “Erin Brockovich.”

When Ms. Brockovich visited Hinkley, “Life itself seemed to be disappearing,” she said to attendees. “The water appeared to be killing everything. This was where I had an epiphany. I had to choose to look the other way or choose to get involved.”

She said that the notion of choice can be overwhelming. “The power you have to make choices is truly extraordinary,” she said. “It connects you with personal and emotional and societal freedom… Through choice, you have a say in the future.”

As a legal assistant and researcher, Ms. Brockovich interviewed 634 people and worked on this case for 6 years before it settled. She said the challenges and experiences in her life helped her build a foundation from which she could do her work.

“My cornerstones have been logic, leverage, loyalty and love,” she said.

“Logic is the perception of what makes sense,” she said. “For me, rule #1 is listen to your instincts and use your common sense. It’s your gut; trust it. Then you will logically do the right thing.”

Leverage has many meanings, she said. “When the people of Hinkley understood there was a problem, they learned that as individuals they had no power, but once they joined together they did. We must unite; it allows us to act more effectively.”

Ms. Brockovich said one of her biggest challenges was maintaining loyalty among the people of Hinkley. “Nothing operates in a straight line of success,” she said.

“The final step ties this all together and holds it in place,” she continued. “I’m not talking about romantic love; I’m talking about the love that makes us want to get up in the morning and reassures us as we go to sleep at night. Keep love in your heart. It’s the positive that can conquer the negative and is the motivator that will keep you going each day.”

Ms. Brockovich concluded by urging her audience to allow intuition and instincts to work for them.

“I’m here today to remind you that when life throws you a curve ball and when you stumble and fall, you’ve got to get back up and keep moving forward,” she said. “When motivation escapes you, stop and remember why it is you’re doing it in the first place.”