What does it mean to be "at home"? Is home necessarily a place —whether a protective sanctuary we create or the location of our geographical origin—or is it a portable state of mind? How essential to our happiness and "heart's ease" is a physical connection to our cultural, familial and physical roots? What do we lose when we leave our roots, or, paradoxically, do we lose something if we never leave? What is the difference between wanderlust and exile—can one find a home in the unfamiliar? While there are no definitive answers to these questions, they are central to our identities and culture. Drawing inspiration from essays and myths, we will explore these questions through writing, so that we might develop greater insight into our own sense of our place in the world. |