Dante’s Exile and Mine: Finding Meaning in Loss
In the 14th century, the poet Dante Alighieri was banished from his beloved city of Florence. He lost his home, his community, and the life he believed was his. Out of that wound, he began writing THE DIVINE COMEDY - A Journey Through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. What could have been only desire became the foundation for one of the greatest works of literature. When Dante was banished from Florence, he wasn’t just removed from a city. He was stripped of identity, stability and belonging. The exile wasn’t only geographical; it was spiritual. It forced him into a life where the very ground beneath his feet no longer felt like his. I think about that often, because I too live with a sense of Exile. Mine is not from a city, but from the life I thought I was supposed to have. I was meant to follow a path that unfolded with certainty, to carry my hopes forward with steady steps, to stand without wavering. Instead the road fractured midway, and what once felt whole now lies unfinished. I...