Plato’s Cave

Imagine you are born in a dark cave, and you spend your life seated gazing at shadows reflected in the wall in front of you.

The cave’s echo makes you think that the shadows are actually speaking to you.

Since you can never turn your head, you cannot see the people seated next to you, only their shadows.

This parade of shadows is your only world, your reality, which others are force-feeding you.

You judge and praise each other based on who can name and predict the next shadows.

Awakening

One day, someone very cruelly pulls you from your seat amongst the shadow-gazers.

You kick and scream all the way out of the cave, traumatized by the experience.

You see the cave’s bonfire which was casting the shadows, and then you see the actual sunlight! So bright it hurts!

Your eyes adjust and you can now see the actual animals, trees, and sunlight.

You realize your mistake!

Life Amongst Shadows, Once Again.

Worse yet, you are then taken back to the cave and forced to sit next to the shadow-gazers.

Darkness surrounds you. You cannot see in the darkness, so you also cannot name the shadows, and your peers think less of you because of this.

Fitting-In Once Again

When you go back to take your seat in the cave, could you explain to them what you saw out there?

What would they think of you? You’re crazy! Shut up!

Would you actually want to be respected for being able to name and predict shadows? But these are their standards! They look down on you for not playing their game.

Would you want to stay and spend your life gazing at shadows when you know that sunlight and actual objects exist? or do you wish you had never seen the sunlight at all?

*Note: This is a very simplified version of the Allegory of the Cave written for the purpose of explaining a little more what I meant on today’s blog post.