As a girl, Gloria Steinem’s life was filled with cross-country travel, a search for adventure, and exposure to the lives of all types of people across the United States. Now, as an adult and a world-renowned activist, Steinem recounts how her life of travel, conversations with strangers, and desire for change led to a life of activism and leadership. Along with her own growth, Steinem details the growth of a movement for equality that’s still being fought today.
I admit I didn’t know much about Gloria Steinem before picking up My Life on the Road. I knew her name was synonymous with the 70s feminist movement and women’s rights advocacy, but that was pretty much where my knowledge ended. After finishing her latest novel, my impression is: Gloria Steinem was—and, at the age of 82, still is—a force to be reckoned with.
My Life on the Road is a retelling of Steinem’s life of activism, a story that she weaves using the motif of travel. In this book she acknowledges the influence that her nomadic childhood had on the rest of her life; her father was a larger-than-life character who refused to put down roots anywhere, packing his family up often and moving across the United States. Steinem found herself mimicking this restless wandering, despite yearning for a solid home as a child. But she credits her father for instilling the love of travel in her, which allowed her to lead the proactive life she has led.
Steinem’s life of travel is so extensive that it seems almost unbelievable at times. Never settling in one place allowed Steinem to organize the National Women’s Conference in 1977, ride in a cab with (and be insulted by) Saul Bellows, witness Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech first-hand, and wave goodbye to John F. Kennedy the day before he was shot.
Steinem did not fight solely for feminism, as I had previously thought, but for equality across genders, races, sexualities, etc. Her writing is insightful and challenging. She offers alternate ways of looking at well-worn social issues, making them still topical in 2016 despite being cultivated in the 1970s. For example, her meditations on the lack of diverse representation in women’s rights are what we call “intersectional feminism” today. Steinem encourages everyone—male and female—to travel as much as they can, to experience the world for what it is and not for how it’s presented in the media. After all, being in new places and meeting new people breaks the “supposedly enlightened idea that there are two sides to every question. In fact, many questions have three or seven or a dozen sides.”
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Share your thoughts in the comments! Some questions to consider are:
1. Steinem writes “[The road] leads us out of denial and into reality, out of theory and into practice, out of caution and into action, out of statistics and into stories…” Have you ever been on a trip that changed the way you saw something? Has an experience with travel ever opened your eyes to something new?
2. “Perhaps our need to escape into media is a misplaced desire for the journey.” Do you think this is true? Have you ever used a book, movie, television show, etc. to satisfy a craving for travel and experience?
3. Steinem is of the opinion that meeting in person always trumps gatherings on the Internet. In an increasingly digital world, is her dismissal of the Internet’s power fair? Or do you think it should be given more credit for its ability to bring people together?
We are getting some serious reading and discussion here – I am reading a feminism related fiction and will certainly want to talk about feminism concept next week, but please be reassured that the author took a humourous approach.
Although I haven’t read Steinem book, I do admire her motif of travel and her courage of turning it into a reality. I do agree that travel can open up our mind and we should travel as much as we can!
Alyssia asks: Have you ever been on a trip that changed the way you saw something? Has an experience with travel ever opened your eyes to something new?
A very long time ago, I was told that it is better to see something at least once, than hear about it a thousand times. I try to do that as best I can. I love to travel, to get out there, explore the unknown, and make the most out of what this world has to offer. While each and every location I have visited has had an impact on the way I see things, none can compare to the life changing experience I had while in Costa Rica.
The people of Costa Rica have a special saying, a motto, a law of the land if you will: Pura Vida – The Pure Life. This saying has many interpretations, but to me it is synonymous with “Hakuna Matata.” It means no worries; life is wonderful; enjoy it; make it your own! Being a very anxious person, I did not think I would be able to embrace this way of life, to just clear my mind, let go of my inhibitions, let go of everything holding me back and just experience. But, I did. In the one week I spent in Costa Rica, I learned many new and exciting things, all of them about myself! As I settled into a beautiful villa nestled in the mountains, I grew accustomed to smelling the fresh ocean air, listening to the howler monkeys play in the trees, and watching the most incredible sun rises and sun sets I have ever seen. Daily life on the resort made me appreciate everything in ways you can’t imagine. From the juicy and delicious fruits, to the grains of sand on the beach, everything was just that much more. I soaked up everything that Costa Rica had to offer, and I loved every minute of it.
I was learning the ways of the Pura Vida, and I was happy. But, the most defining moment of my trip, that moment when I was actually able to let go of my worries and fears, let go of all of my hesitations and be completely vulnerable, was when I went zip lining through the Costa Rican rain forest. It was a life changing moment for me. Through a series of 12 stages, I made my way from the top of the mountain, through vines and trees and luscious greens; over rivers and streams and waterfalls. There were no words for what I experienced, but at the end of it all, I knew I had found my courage. I was living and breathing the Pura Vida. This trip changed the way I saw the world, and the way I saw myself. I am forever thankful for this journey and encourage everyone to visit this magical place.
Some time ago (I am not going to really say how long ago not to scare you with my age), I had the same opinion: the more we travel, the better. And I was doing it …but at a certain point of time, I realised that travelling can also become something habitual and you get used to the change of sceneries, strangers, different languages, traditions and the rest. Travelling can become another obsession and can be similar to an addiction (it is a socially accepted and approved, and even an encouraged addiction)
What I heard in Alex’s story was the fact of going through NEW experience “which changed the way” she saw the world. And travelling is very often associated with that. For some reason, we think that new experience is somewhere else, but not right here where we are now. So, we are travelling for the sake of new experience and often replace the idea of “new experience” with new visual images or food. Do you remember how many times you got an answer to your question about somebody’s trip: “The food was good. The country/place/city was beautiful!” Nobody denies the fact that we have the right to indulge in pleasant simple activities, but I would like to say that “life changing experience” can be much closer than another province, country or continent. “Life changing experience” can happen anywhere. You just need to allow it to happen!
I really resonate with the question “Have you ever been on a trip that changed the way you saw something? Has an experience with travel ever opened your eyes to something new?” Like Alex, I too believe in travelling and experiencing the world. I’ve travelled at least once every year since I turned 18 and I really hope that I can continue to do this. Thinking back, many of my trips had a great impact on the way I view the world and myself. However, there is one trip that had the most impact. Just over 7 years ago, after dealing with many personal issues, I decided that I needed to get away. I needed time to think, to discover and reflect. So, I bought a single ticket to Italy and left on a plane all by myself. Many, many people asked why I would want to go away on my own and reminded me of the danger of a young girl travelling alone in an unfamiliar city (“Haven’t you seen Taken?” they’d ask.. No! I did not!). I usually responded with, “…because I want to”. I was gone for a month, and during that month I learned many things about myself. For instance, I’m more independent and strong then I had ever known. I walked the streets of Rome, Florence, Pisa and Calabria alone! It was the most beautiful experience and every so often I wish I could do it all over again. I always encourage people to travel alone. You get to travel however you please, and learn new things about yourself. I see myself as an independent person and I know I am strong! Don’t get me wrong, at times I do forget, but then I remind myself of all my past experiences and how I am able to surpass my anxieties and fears. And then I remember that I need another vacation haha.
2. “Perhaps our need to escape into media is a misplaced desire for the journey.” Do you think this is true? Have you ever used a book, movie, television show, etc. to satisfy a craving for travel and experience?
So, one of my favourite trivia facts about Gloria Steinem is that her stepson is Christian Bale. I can just imagine her asking this question over a light-hearted family dinner – you know, kind of poking fun at his career and how people only saw Exodus: Gods and Kings to escape from their own life and their inability to travel. Ha ha.
On a more serious note… I think intersectionality is so important, and for that reason I also think it’s important to consider that not everyone has the means to experience the road in the way that Steinem challenges us to do. Feminism is for everyone, including people who can’t afford to travel, or who have families and can’t pick up as often as they want to. I do want to make travelling a priority in my life, but I also understand that I’m very lucky to be able to do so.
I’ve read that people who read fiction have a more developed sense of empathy than those who don’t, and I believe that also allows us to see things from a third or fourth or fifth perspective – especially if we’re committed to reading books by diverse authors, in diverse settings.
Anyways, I’m definitely looking forward to reading this. Maybe Steinem would say we should be having this discussion in person, but I think this does the trick as well!
Really enjoying all the discussion these questions have generated!
I want to second the idea that while of course travel can be great way of expanding our horizons and giving us new perspectives, I think that main goal shouldn’t be travel specifically (not all travel will do this, even!) but rather consciously choosing to leave our comfort zones sometimes, whatever those might look like. Some people are more comfortable when travelling all the time and always having new experiences, and for them taking a moment to stop somewhere and sit in quiet and relative inactivity may be equally broadening!
I also very much love what Rachel has to say about “escaping” into media; I had tried to articulate something similar to myself when I first read these discussion questions earlier this week. I read and watch movies not as a replacement for external adventure, but rather as a journey toward self-understanding. Moreover, though, I find it rather short-sighted (for all Steinem has tried to embrace intersectional feminism) to so quickly dismiss the different ways we have available to us to learn about other people and their stories and cultures – not everyone can travel, for various reasons, but their lives are not inherently lesser than those who do. The key should be the attitude with which we approach and embrace the opportunities we are given, not the specifics of what those opportunities are, which we may not be able to control.
All of these answers are so thought provoking and inspiring! Your stories of travel make me want to pack up and leave right now! I agree, you never know what you’re capable of until you’re faced with a new situation. I discovered this on my first trip without parents or school several years ago, when a friend and I planned a last-minute trip to the UK. Since it was our first trip without a guide, we decided to pick a place where English was the first language! I was surprised by how comfortable I was managing my own journey, and I’m still itching to go back and explore all the parts I didn’t have time to see.
You guys bring up excellent points about the cost and privilege of travel. In fact, Gloria Steinem does acknowledge that not everybody can do it. It’s the sort of thing where if you can do it, you should! And this point specifically is why I don’t agree with her that the Internet isn’t as helpful–if anything, I think it’s MORE helpful for social change. How else would a girl from Canada and a girl from, say, the Middle East have access to the same resources? How would we know the intimate details of police brutality in the US if not for Twitter?
Finally, the point about fiction readers being more empathetic. I love that idea, because it makes me feel good as a reader! Haha. But it is true, since you’re naturally more open to other experiences besides your own. We should use that to promote reading at the library….
A few years ago I went backpacking through Algonquin park, a grueling 30km trail, all of which seemed uphill – which I still don’t know how is possible since we turned back and returned the same way we came in. Everything we would need for survival was on our backs. We were completely isolated. I slept on the cold, damp ground. My pillow was a folded up sweater and winter-hat. It got so cold at night that I had to sleep with gloves on. My friend woke up each morning with a terrible cough. During the night, I could barely sleep because every rustle in the bushes was, with dead certainty, a hungry bear or a pack of rapid wolves. I limped out of the trail. My toes were black for six months because I wasn’t wearing the right size shoes. In short, it was incredible.
I learned at least two important lessons during my experience. First, I learned the true value of material goods, like shoes, socks, pillows, dry clothes, shelter. You have never felt the softness of a pillow until you spent the night with your head on a rock. Second, and more interestingly, I began toying with a little theory of anxiety and depression and why we, in our modern industrial society, are so prone to it. In the wilderness, I was afraid. I felt fear, real fear – not anxiety, though. I started to think that, biologically, we must have a certain level of psychic energy that manifests itself as fear. This energy is necessary for survival. It is a subconscious life force, our basic will to live. It makes us fear physical pain, starvation and death and thus motivates us to acquire food, water and shelter. However, in our world, we rarely have these fears. We more or less have everything we need – and, believe me, we don’t need much. But we still have this dormant psychic energy, which must manifest itself, somehow, in our conscious lives. Since it is not being directed toward the normal biological functions of survival, it gets re-routed and it manifests itself, sometimes with the force of an eruption, as anxiety and depression. When we are not afraid of being mauled by a bear, shared by a pack of wolves or run down by a moose, we are afraid of not being successful, not being popular, not being rich. These categories had no meaning in the wild. The hike taught me to remember that we have already won the great natural struggle for survival, the true source of all worry. But we have no release for the subconscious drives that were necessary in this struggle. Remaining, for the most part, unaware of this predicament, we feel anxiety and depression. We worry about invented problems, and when we fail to win in our made-up games, we feel depressed. Everyone should return to the darkness of the wild to re-encounter our most primal fears. Everyone should release this vital life force, which, if kept bottled up, becomes toxic. We were born to be wild. Somewhere along the way, we seem to have forgotten.
This has been such a thought provoking and engaging discussion so far! Like many of you, I agree that travel offers a fantastic opportunity to open your mind and spirit to experiences, thoughts and emotions which you may not experience at “home”. After graduate school, I went to Greece. While watching the sunset in Santorini, I had this one spiritual moment of complete serenity and clarity of my life, up until that point (yes, totally cheesy but totally true).
On the other hand I completely agree with Kasey in that we should aim to leave our comfort zones and realize the opportunities we are given. I haven’t had the chance to travel in the last 6 years since that trip to Greece, but I can say that the experiences I have had here at home have changed me in very positive ways. I have learned more about my social and cultural beliefs, how I view others, and who I am as an adult woman. Travelling is a great way to have that “life changing experience” (and provides a beautiful memory) but sometimes it may just be your experiences in life that change you, regardless of where you are.
I’m late to the game, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this discussion. When I think back on my little life so far, I can identify a few pivotal experiences in which I fundamentally changed as a person and they all involve being in an unfamiliar place. It’s like my insides were rearranged- I had everything already inside me and things just needed a shift. These travelling experiences were just the catalysts for the monumental changes.
Daniel, your brain must run on the same wavelengths as mine because your comment resonates with me in a major way. I’ve had similar experiences and agree with you wholeheartedly.