EEditor’ s note by Divya Viswalingam, editor
Thousands of years ago, in the middle of Fall, Publius Virgilius Maro was born. Virgil, as we know him today, would become one of the most prolific authors of all time through his epic The Aeneid. The Aeneid taught us more than who the ancestors of the Romans were and Aeneas’ journey, it taught us about sacrifice, duty, and rebuilding from the ashes. In the modern world with our modern stresses, it can be hard for us to realize that one step back doesn’ t mean starting from scratch, and starting from scratch doesn’ t mean hitting rock bottom. During fall, once bright green leaves start to brown, die, and fall to the ground, leaving trees bare. But it isn’ t the end, for the spring will come and make everything green again. I, like many, have struggled with my own setbacks. I especially struggled with defining myself by them. But Aeneas was never defined by the fall of Troy, he was defined by what he started: Rome. Like how phoenixes are defined by how they rise from ashes, our fall backs are not what define us, but how we spring forward is what will.
2