As an activist, Gloria Steinem has spent most of her life traveling, speaking and advocating for the equality and empowerment of women in all parts of the country. She estimates that she’s spent more time on the road than off it. Her decades of grassroots activism began out of necessity ― back in the '60s, there were fewer channels for spreading one’s message ― but even in the age of the Internet, Steinem stresses the importance of face-to-face interaction.
In all her time on the road, Steinem says during an interview with Oprah on “SuperSoul Sunday,” she learned an invaluable lesson about the power of appearing in person.
“I discovered as I never otherwise would have, I think, that what happens in a room when you are present cannot happen on the printed page or on the screen,” Steinem says.
The reason, she asserts, isn’t just emotional. It’s also scientific.
“It’s really true that the hormones that allow us to empathize with each other are only produced when we’re together in all five senses,” Steinem explains. “It isn’t to devalue the page or the screen. It’s just different.”
Being on the road and participating in face-to-face activism also has a meditation-like benefit, she adds.
“What the road does is force you to live in the present in that way,” Steinem says. “There’s just an infinite amount of learning, and it’s in the moment. It forces you to live in the moment.”
Another woman’s insight about creating change:
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