Access Information at: Home – Steinbeck Center
We live in a time of conflict. It is a time when lies that have been repeated for years have led to confusion and darkness. Fantastical lies are part of the belief system of many who do not want to think for themselves. There is a famine of critical consciousness in the world. Recently I was reviewing a manuscript for an academic journal, where I am an assistant editor. The observation of a homeless woman in Pakistan elegantly summed up what many believe across the globe:
“People no longer care; everyone has lost their humanity.”
She looks like someone with a story that John Steinbeck may have written about. This led me to visit the National Steinbeck Center and John Steinbeck’s grave. Where is John now that we need him? We are fortunate John is a light across time with a message for all ages through his memorable stories.
Let us ponder how we treat our brothers and sisters. When we treat others as Objects (Subject > Object relationships) we diminish who we are, and they are, as human beings. When we treat others as Subjects (Subject<>Subject relationships) we are on equal standing and everyone wins. More than ever we need to find the path of truth where we are all part of the human family. We need to come together in a metaphorical Tent of Meeting where, as equals, we work together to build good will among all humans.
What follows is a tour of the legacy of John Steinbeck’s literature at the National Steinbeck Center, Steinbeck House, and a visit to his grave.
Steinbeck House is not part of National Steinbeck Center
Access information at: The Steinbeck House
This is the birthplace and childhood home of John Steinbeck. It is a restaurant and offers tours of the family home.
Sampling of John Steinbeck’s Works
As a student at Monterey Peninsula College in the early 1970s I was introduced to John Steinbeck’s work The Long Valley as part of an assignment in an English course. His focus on the human condition, of light and shadow, and cruelty among humans is something to ponder. We have entered into another time where the frightful energies of the past appear to have grasped this moment. One can hope and work for a positive transformation of our society. I have decided to read these short stories again to discover new meaning, and figure how our Tents of Meeting may expand to include all people.
This was one of the first novels that I read. There are no longer Canneries in Cannery Row. The Steinbeck Theatre of the 1960s was replaced by a restaurant.
In life we are always confronted with change. Change is part of living. Forgetting does not work and has us repeat familiar cycles that are painful and threaten our learning from experience. This ignorance of the past threatens our ability to compassionately embrace hope and wellbeing of humans, other sentient beings, air, water, land, fire/energy, trees, and the planet in general.
While the Nobel Prize was awarded for Mr. Steinbeck’s whole body of work. The Winter of Our Discontent demonstrated to the Nobel Prize Committee his ongoing contribution to literature.
Travels with Charlie
May all of our trips that take us on an odyssey of discovery be as rich as the Travels with Charley in 1962
Honors and Awards
The 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature
Presidential Medal of Freedom – 1964
Commemorative Postage Stamp 1979
John’s Best Friend
Visit to John Steinbeck’s Grave
