In the Ramayana, the protagonist is exiled for 14 years1,3. In many ancient cultures exile is a punishment or a political tool. Humans are social beings. We are raised to be a part of society and in many cultures, children are raised to take on a certain role in society. To be exiled, to be pushed from your society, is a punishment. Humans, to a large extent, define themselves by their relationships to others. In exile, those relationships can not be maintained.
Long-term travel is different from exile but there are similarities. Happiness for humans depends, on some extent, on how we relate to other people. In a foreign country, it can be difficult to create and maintain relationships.
Even Marco Polo got homesick2. He and his brothers ended up going home.
Sources:
- Ramayana. (2024, January 14). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana
- 10 Facts about Marco Polo, (2020, September 29). by Paulette Cohn, in Biography. https://www.biography.com/history-culture/marco-polo-facts-netflix
- The Moment Rama is Exiled. by National Museum, New Delhi. in Google Arts and Culture https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-moment-rama-is-exiled-national-museum-delhi/mQXh5DUSXadIoA?hl=en