Sorta Like a Modern Day Grapes of Wrath

A wonderful modern day convenience is to be had by garnering a free membership at the local library. If you have an electronic device like a cell phone, you can bring the library home with you via an app that allows you to download books to read and, better yet, audiobooks to listen to/read. I've read dozens over the last year; the most recent has been Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. I read this as a teen where I found the story to be sad but easily read. I read it again in college and scribbled out an essay about it being an historic work depicting what many families endured during the dust bowl era. I only just now really read it as a story about humanity--our trials, fears, triumphs, failures, and the kind of utterly defeating events through which we still have immense responsibility and choice over our own character and behavior..

If you've read it, you know that it is the tale of the Joad family striving to survive the dustbowl era on the way to, and once in, California. I hadn't recalled from past readings much of the various losses that flood the family. This time they were glaring. Such loss includes loss of home, land, way of life, friendships, pride, ability to provide, parents, children, siblings, freedom, money, and cherished belongings. What's more is the loss of hope, faith, charity, kindness, warmth, peace, honesty, self-control and basic decency as well as the loss of mind.

I can appreciate anyone who lived through that era saying I've taken this comparison too far as the devastation of that era was terrorizing to such a marked degree. Forgive me as I do it anyway. The last few years of our COVID era hold so many parallels in my mind that it is impossible for me not to absorb the lessons that are presented to me now.

It's difficult to say who the main character is in general--and most would maybe say Tom as he's in the story from the beginning. For me, it is Ma, and she is where I find the greatest lessons. At every corner, she (and everyone) is tried; at every trial she rises up to do her level best. Someday I may write more, but for this post, I'm just going to set the lessons down in writing to preserve the truth of them for myself and for anyone else who is striving to make the very most out of the opportunities here to build/improve upon one's character.

1. Life will have traumatic events no matter how "good" or "sinful" a person is.

2. What and the way we learn to think about events and our place in them has a great deal to do with our feelings and subsequent thoughts as well as behavior.

3. There are always options...we might not always see them or like them, however.

4. One has to strive for betterment; betterment is not free.

5. There will be pain.

6. Each person has resources that are important to the whole community.

7. Fear drains resources if not owned and soothed. This happens best with others instead of alone.

8. Sacrificing for the whole is a worthy endeavor; sacrificing someone else for the whole is destructive to the whole.

9. A pathway to forgiveness, healing, and overcoming is vital to relationships.

10. Fearing difference is deadly.

11. Fearing scarcity selfishly can deteriorate one's ability to creatively find options; turning toward solutions WITH others can promote creative outcomes that benefits everyone.

12. Survival does not equate to joy; contributing to the survival/success of other's brings great joy.

13. Living by a code of values and ethics promotes the greatest joy.

14. A person can be provoked by someone else to feel all kinds of feelings; what one does with that remains one's own responsibility.

15. Harm is never an acceptable alternative.

16. Love and generosity are ultimately the best possible options and when together are powerful antidotes to fear.

Every single lesson (probably those I didn't pick up on as well) seemed paralleled during our COVID era. Frankly, many of them seemed apparent before. Some of us were not our best selves at various points--the amount of finger pointing and blame that circled social media sites was overwhelming. I personally watched many give up all efforts to contribute to their communities and suffer lethargy, lack of willingness to participate in potential relationships, and hide in fear and bitterness aimed at anyone of a different belief. Others rose up and served as best they could making masks, donating food, giving time to listen and connect even with strangers. I'm betting the latter felt something different than the former as a result of their choices. As for me, I hope I keep growing in my capacity to meet the trials of a pandemic, the happenstance of weather, or any other challenge with love and goodness. Ma did it in Steinbeck's novel...and it was beautiful. No one is perfect at any of the truths of life; trying to grow into them is totally good enough.