Allegory of the Cave, Book by Plato

This Allegory was introduced to me by my sister. She is a college student. She said I should read this because it is beautiful. And yeah! she's right. 

So, here is my take!

In summary, this is more like a narration of a group of people who were likely in a place confined and thus unable to move or look forward. Those people are somewhat satisfied with what they only hear and see, in short, of what we're feeding them. Limitations were visible. And to advance in life, they need to get out of their safe haven and see and understand what lies behind those "walls". 

Socrates elucidates that those chained people do not have a full understanding of what life is, of how it directs and revolves, and most importantly, of how it is in reality. This is simply a portrayal of the metamorphosis, the acceptance, and the embrace of changes. Hidebound. Narrow-minded. Comfort zone. Acceptance. Reformist. Traditional-to name a few. My reactions revolve around some key points that we can grasp throughout the whole allegory. At the start, we have the Prisoners in the Cave (Chained). We can associate this with our childhood era. wherein everything's so fine, so perfect-like- a fairytale. We have been programmed since our childhood days. We envisioned it the way we wanted life to be. We feel that we already know the truth and that we already know how to dance with it. The programs we watch on the television, the news that we hear, Oh! We thought that it is life, just like how the influencer in his/her flashy car lives day by day. The social norms. And from that, we have been told to live just like that, to dance just like that. Why? Because people told us to do so. Social status told us to do so. The people in our circles told us to do so. Sugarcoated truth. Next, we have to see the reflections. The truth flashes right before our eyes. Or is it the truth? 

Needless to say, the things and things all other people want to intel to us. When the shadows are reflected in the wall, this is the representation of how we are slowly being introduced to life and its components. The truth would be nothing but the shadows of the images. Can you imagine the daily post of your favorite influencer did every day? Those are the shadows, - the shadows you think are the only real ones in the world. The last key point was those people who dare to go outside. Society often labeled them as weird, mocking them, and belittling them; but those people were the ones who saw how beautiful life is and that it needs to be chased, to be discovered. Ignorance is a bliss. They say people who do not know the truth would not need to worry about it. What a mindset. Isn't it irresponsible? Life is an opportunity given to us. We must be the best and make use of it to the fullest. Live your life.

Everyone has their cave where we feel like we are safely sheltered. But when we go out and we try something new, unfamiliar with what we usually do, we neglect struggles. With that, we prefer to just stay still in the dull world because we are used to it and comfortable with it. People refuse to learn any critical self-reflection about the truth. Will they not fancy that the shadows which they formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to them? Maybe not? Why the hustle? Can we blame them? I strongly believe that this is a matter of self-choice rather than an option. We choose to be just the bare minimum, where we can be the best version of ourselves. We have all the means to learn, we are being taught. But no, why hustle? Life outside is so wide it could eat me up-I am all good. We want to return to that cave of shadows because dealing with reality isn't as easy as it seems. Reality is so harsh. The process is so painful. A quote from the great Pope Benedict XVI states that, "We cannot rely solely on the news if we want to understand the world and life. We must be able to remain in silence, in meditation, in calm and prolonged reflection. We must know how to stop and think. " 

So go out, explore, learn. Be human. Rene Descartes once said, " It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well. " So be free. Explore. Learn new things. Life is so beautiful to just stay still. Discover who you are. Find your voice. Not everyone will understand or be happy for you when you decide to change your habits and outlook on life. Just like how the people in the cave responded to the escaped prisoner who returned--you can never expect to have them fully open to supporting you, rather expect friends and family to laugh at your "stupid" ideas. But just let it be, you find your purpose, that is you. The choice is ours, at the end of the day. Whether we remain in the shadows where we are all familiar or we go beyond. 

I would like to use this song by Alec Benjamin entitled, Mind is a Prison. Yes, it is. The mind controls us. The mind dictates us. The mind has the overall say about what we feel. When our mind says, we are hungry, then we are. Somewhere on the lyrics says, " Sometimes I think too much. Yeah, I got so caught up. I am always stuck in my head. I wish I could escape. " I am sometimes in a phase of life wherein I am too afraid to try and discover my potential. I am so very cool with my cave that even shadows were so very visible and clear.; I rather choose to neglect It-I am too afraid. One day, my mother told me to go and work on my potential. That I am a great dancer and I dance well. That is when I started to believe in myself. That is when I realized I have been so very okay with how I live that I forgot to look way too far from the road. I just usually take one every day. So, I did move. I broke my chains. I face criticism because, well, that is part of it. Facing the world would mean facing your fears too. 

For the outcome, when Socrates asked, " And if they can get hold of this person who takes it in hand to free them from their chains and to lead them up, and if they could kill him, would they not kill him? "Auction, then replied, " They certainly will". That is Cancel Culture. We often get scared of experiencing this one, hence, we rather choose to end up not being heard. When you are against what most people believe, they will cancel you even if your only goal is to educate them and inform them. But once again, we cannot please all people. If you choose black, people will have something to say; if you say white, still criticize. So, just let them be. Just be true to yourself and don't forget to stay relevant, be a human of good deeds, and have passion. Continue to educate people. Be wise.

 Let me end this with the quote, "Never discourage anyone who can make constant progress, no matter how slow.", Plato, sophist 261b